Alireza Bigdeli, the new charge d'affaires of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Afghanistan, arrived in Kabul on Saturday morning, November 30, to officially start his mission.
Iran's domestic news agencies reported that Alireza Bigdeli was welcomed by the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry officials upon his arrival in Kabul.
Alireza Bigdeli has replaced Hassan Kazemi Qomi by decree of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Qomi, who initially introduced himself as the head of Iran's diplomatic mission in Kabul, over time changed this title to chargé d'affaires, a rank lower than the ambassador. However, the Taliban's Foreign Ministry addresses Qomi and Bigdeli as the ambassadors of the Islamic Republic in Kabul.
In his farewell meeting with Qomi, Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s Foreign Minister, said that he was "ready to work with the new ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran on the expansion of bilateral relations”.
Last week, in response to a question about the appointment of a new representative, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmael Baghaei said that Bigdeli "has been appointed as the head of our country's embassy in Kabul”.
The Islamic Republic of Iran, like Pakistan and the United States, has also removed the post of special envoy for Afghanistan, which observers say means that the level of Iran's official relations with the Taliban has been reduced.
On Sunday, November 24, 2024, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Abbas Araghchi, issued a decree appointing Alireza Bigdeli as the new charge d'affaires of the Iranian embassy in Kabul.
Alireza Bigdeli was previously the ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Azerbaijan, Türkiye, Cyprus and the chargé d'affaires in Kazakhstan.
