Tension With Iran Has Irreparable Consequences, Says Former Afghan Chief Peace Negotiator

This newspaper, in addition to praising Ahmad Massoud, has described the threatening and mocking words about the Islamic Republic by figures close to the Taliban as "naive chanting by some people affiliated with this group".

This newspaper pointed to the threats and wrote, “Let them know that we have buried people more brutal than them, that was bloodthirsty- ISIS. They [Taliban] count as nothing.”

Although the Iranian authorities are trying to downplay the recent border tensions in order to reduce the tensions with the Taliban, domestic newspapers, especially the press close to the Iranian regime, have harshly criticised the Taliban's dealings with Iran.

Jomhouri-e Eslami Newspaper, criticising the Iranian government's policy towards the Taliban, called the recent tweet of Ahmed Massoud, leader of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan, as "sympathetic and wise”.

When the Iranian and Taliban border clash occurred on Saturday, Ahmad Massoud, quoted a poem of Rumi, and said he considered Iran's foreign policy to establish friendly relations with the Taliban as futile.

Like other domestic newspaper, Jomhouri-e Eslami also called the policy of close relationship with the Taliban as a mistake, including the handover of Afghanistan embassy to the group.

Masih Mohajeri, editor of this newspaper, is described as one of the conservative scholars of Iran.

This senior military commander called the clashes with Taliban border forces “worthless”.

Hajizadeh, in a speech at the University of Science and Technology of Tehran, said, “Our enemies want to transform the border clash with Afghanistan into a war; the case will be managed. Nothing to worry.”

He added, “Some incidents happened at the border that are not very important. They are managed in the area of the border and by the forces there, and we should not stir up these issues.”

Controversy over Iran’s water rights has raised political tension between the Taliban and Iranian government. The border clash between Iranian and Taliban border guards intensified the tensions. Now, the Iranian and Taliban officials are trying to lower the tensions through a conciliatory tone.

Though this Iranian official trivialised the border clash, but he claimed that the US is behind it.

He pointed to the death of nine Iranian diplomats in Mazar-e-Sharif of Balkh province in 1998, which caused the gathering of tens of thousands of Iranian military forces on the border with Afghanistan and said that Ali Khamenei, the religious leader of Iran, prevented the clash with Taliban back then.

According to the Khabaronline website, Hajizadeh said, “US has prepared different traps for Iran over the years. For example, during the Iraq-Kuwait war... in Afghanistan, during the Bush, when our diplomats were martyred in Afghanistan, inside some tried to carry out an operation, which the leader of the revolution stopped and said that the war is not in our favour.”

Regarding the border clash, Tasnim Agency which is affiliated to IRGC, claimed that a security source said that the reason behind the starting of the clash had been the skirmish between Iranian border guards and drug traffickers.

This source said that Taliban were unaware of the matter and opened fire on Iranian forces which caused the clash between the two sides.

Last year, the Taliban had announced that they will build three to 10 religious madrassas in every district.

In this statement, Abdul Jalil Shahidkhil, Taliban’s head of education directorate in Balkh, said that after the takeover of the Taliban, the officials of this group and businessmen have tried to take practical steps towards the construction of religious schools.

After the takeover of power by Taliban in August 2021, the group has started to establish religious madrassas all over Afghanistan.

Taliban named some of these madrassas as “Jihadi Madrassas” wherein in addition to religious studies, military training is also being taught.

Some criticised that Taliban is not only expanding extremism through these madrassas, but also changing them into their militias’ training centers.

After a three-month break, protesters resumed their protests in Makassar city of Indonesia, 10 days ago.

Now, the protests have been extended to several other cities, including Medan and Pekanbaru.

Thousands of Afghan refugees have been protesting in front of the UNHCR office in Indonesia since a year, but according to the refugees, only a few of their cases have been dealt with.

Thousands of Afghan refugees hoping to reach Australia have been living in various cities of Indonesia and have been deprived of their basic rights.

Russia is the only country that has reacted to the clash between Taliban and Iranian forces in the border area in Kang district of Nimroz province.

Iranian and Taliban officials said that at least three people have been killed as the result of the clash, including two Iranian border guards and one Taliban member.

Tasnim News Agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, reported that Iran and the Taliban have agreed to dispatch a fact-finding delegation for investigating the factors which resulted into the border clash on Saturday in Nimroz.

This news agency claimed that a security source said that the reason behind the starting of the clash had been the skirmish between Iranian border guards and drug traffickers.

This source said that Taliban were unaware of the matter and opened fire on Iranian forces which caused the clash between the two sides.

The Taliban, without mentioning this issue, accused the Iranian border guards for opening fire toward the group's forces.