Leaked documents from the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry reveal that Afghan embassies and consulates in Iran and Pakistan transfer substantial monthly funds to the group, making them a key financial source for the Taliban’s sanctioned administration.
According to one of the leaked letters, the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry requested $1 million from the Afghan Consulate in Zahedan, Iran.
A series of internal communications, published by a hacker group and reviewed by Afghanistan International, highlight significant financial exchanges between the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry and its overseas diplomatic missions.
One letter, dated 15 January 2025, just five days before Donald Trump’s inauguration as U.S. President, shows that the Taliban Foreign Ministry formally requested $1 million from the Afghan Consulate in Zahedan.
Another document indicates that the Taliban’s embassy in Tehran transferred 7 million Afghanis to the Taliban Foreign Ministry’s account at Afghanistan’s central bank. However, the timeframe for collecting this sum remains unclear.
The leaked records further highlight the substantial monthly revenues generated by the Afghan embassy in Islamabad. Between June and September 2023, the embassy earned over $700,000, a figure excluding its operational expenses.
Additionally, a letter from the Afghan Consulate in Quetta states that during the second quarter of 2023, the office generated approximately $130,000 in revenue.
While these documents do not provide a complete financial picture of Taliban-controlled diplomatic missions, they underscore their importance as revenue sources for the regime.
The Taliban has sought control over more Afghan diplomatic missions abroad, not only to gain political leverage but also to increase its foreign currency reserves.
A significant portion of the revenue from Taliban-run embassies and consulates in Iran and Pakistan comes from:” visa issuance, passport renewals and egal document verification.
With at least 6 million Afghan migrants in Iran and over 3 million in Pakistan, the Afghan embassies in these countries are among the most profitable.
Additionally, Afghanistan’s trade relations with Iran and Pakistan surpass those with any other regional country, further boosting the Taliban’s diplomatic revenues.
