Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s Foreign Minister, departed for Iran on Saturday, 17 May, to attend the Tehran Dialogue Forum. Muttaqi will also hold meetings with senior Iranian officials, according to a statement from the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The visit comes at the invitation of Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi. The forum is expected to bring together regional leaders and policymakers for discussions on diplomatic, security, and economic cooperation.
Accompanying Muttaqi on the trip is Abdul Latif Nazari, the Taliban’s Deputy Minister of Economy, who will also take part in bilateral meetings during the delegation’s stay in Tehran.
The visit is part of the Taliban’s ongoing diplomatic outreach in the region, despite the group’s lack of formal international recognition.
Two prominent commanders of the National Resistance Front (NRF), Khalid Amiri and Hasib Panjshiri, have appeared in newly released images on social media, reportedly taken in the mountainous regions of Afghanistan.
The photos show both commanders in full military uniform and equipped with combat gear. At least two NRF sources confirmed to Afghanistan International that the images are recent and that the commanders are currently active within Afghanistan’s mountainous terrain.
In a video shared on his X (formerly Twitter) account, Hasib Panjshiri declared, “Our country is under the occupation of terrorist Taliban forces.” He added, “We are fighting to reclaim and liberate our land and geography from the grip of this criminal group, and we have full faith in victory.”
The appearance of the two commanders comes just one day after it was reported that NRF leader Ahmad Massoud travelled to Mashhad, Iran. According to sources, the Islamic Republic of Iran hosted a gathering of Afghan political figures, including Atta Mohammad Noor. The sources stated that Massoud was received by Iranian officials and held meetings with representatives from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Khalid Amiri is a senior NRF commander who played a key role in organising and leading resistance operations against the Taliban following the fall of Kabul in August 2021. A former elite officer in the Afghan National Army, Amiri moved to Panjshir shortly after the Taliban takeover and led intense combat missions in the region.
In June 2022, Amiri shared an image of a downed Taliban helicopter in the Hindu Kush mountains, a symbolic act of defiance. He also released videos showing captured Taliban fighters, whom he later reportedly released.
Before the Taliban’s return to power, Amiri served as a commander of special forces in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and received military training both domestically and abroad.
Hasib Panjshiri, widely known as “Hasib Qowaye Markaz”, is another key NRF commander under the leadership of Ahmad Massoud. After completing military training, Hasib joined Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security (NDS) special units and participated in numerous operations across the country. Following the Taliban’s capture of Kabul, he returned to his native Panjshir and continued the armed resistance.
Iran’s Interior Minister, Eskandar Momeni, has announced that the country’s top priority is the deportation of nearly two million undocumented migrants, citing mounting economic and social pressures.
Speaking to reporters in Kerman Province on Friday, 16 May, Momeni stated that Iran no longer has the capacity to accommodate additional migrants. He claimed that undocumented migrants, most of whom are Afghan nationals, are occupying job opportunities and consuming substantial government subsidies.
“Iran has hosted millions of migrants for decades due to regional instability, particularly from Afghanistan,” Momeni said. “But we are not economically or socially equipped to absorb such a large number.”
He added that, beginning in 2024, the government initiated new measures to tighten border controls and accelerate the deportation process.
While acknowledging Iran’s deep historical, cultural, and religious ties with its neighbours, Momeni emphasised the need for pragmatic policies. “The issue of undocumented migrants poses both humanitarian and economic challenges,” he said. “We hope our Afghan brothers and sisters will return to their country and contribute to rebuilding their homeland.”
The minister’s remarks come amid worsening conditions for Afghan refugees and asylum seekers in Iran. According to Iran’s Office for Migration Affairs, over 2.2 million Afghans were deported last year alone.
Among those deported were former Afghan military personnel and government employees who had fled Afghanistan fearing Taliban retaliation. Human rights groups have raised serious concerns about the forced return of these individuals, warning they could face arrest, persecution, or even execution upon re-entering Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
The head of Tajikistan’s State Committee for National Security has called for the adoption of new operational strategies along the country’s border with Afghanistan, citing escalating threats from international terrorism and growing instability in the region.
Saimumin Yatimov issued the warning during the 56th meeting of the Council of Heads of Security Agencies and Special Services of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), held on Friday, 16 May, in Dushanbe.
According to Russia’s TASS news agency, Yatimov described international terrorism as one of the most significant threats confronting CIS member states. He stressed that the transnational nature of terrorism, coupled with emerging security flashpoints near CIS borders particularly in Afghanistan necessitates joint action, timely information exchange, and continuous refinement of operational tactics and intelligence-gathering methods.
Representatives from Russia, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan attended the meeting, with Turkmenistan participating as an observer.
Yatimov underscored the importance of such gatherings in facilitating the exchange of perspectives and expertise on regional security, describing the CIS council as a critical platform for enhancing cooperation among member states.
Tajik President Emomali Rahmon also addressed the session, urging CIS members to bolster collective efforts to address mounting security challenges across the region. He identified terrorism, extremism, radicalism, drug trafficking, arms smuggling, and cybercrime as the primary threats facing the bloc.
Tajikistan, which will hold the rotating presidency of the CIS in 2025, has prioritised enhanced security cooperation as a central objective during its term.
The Taliban has formally nominated a candidate to serve as ambassador to Russia, according to Zamir Kabulov, the Russian President’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan.
Speaking to RIA Novosti on Friday, 16 May, Kabulov confirmed that the nominee’s name has been submitted and is currently undergoing review by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other relevant government agencies. While he did not disclose the identity of the nominee, Kabulov expressed hope that the approval process would soon conclude with a formal agreement.
Earlier this month, during a meeting with Kabulov, Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi announced that the group would soon appoint an ambassador to Russia.
At present, the Afghan embassy in Moscow is headed by Jamal Nasir Gharwal, who was appointed by the Taliban and serves as chargé d’affaires.
The nomination follows Russia’s recent decision to suspend its designation of the Taliban as a terrorist organisation. In the wake of that move, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated its intention to elevate the Taliban’s diplomatic representation in Moscow from chargé d’affaires to ambassador level.
According to RIA Novosti, Kabulov noted that the arrival of a Taliban ambassador in Moscow could pave the way for potential recognition of the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan.
The Taliban’s Supreme Court has announced that six individuals including four men and two women were publicly flogged in the Hesa Awal Kohistan district of Kapisa province.
They are punished on charges of same-sex relations between men, fleeing from home, and extramarital sex.
According to a statement issued on Friday, 16 May, the individuals were sentenced to lashes and prison terms ranging from six months to one year. The punishments were carried out in public, in the presence of local officials, court staff, attendees, and residents, after being approved by the Taliban’s Supreme Court.
Over the past 10 days, the Taliban has publicly flogged at least 55 people across Afghanistan for various alleged offences, continuing its enforcement of strict interpretations of Islamic law.
The group refers to public flogging as the implementation of “Islamic Sharia.” However, international human rights organisations have repeatedly condemned such punishments as forms of torture and violations of international law.
Just a day prior, Taliban-controlled courts also carried out public floggings of 12 individuals in the provinces of Bamiyan, Ghazni, and Parwan.
Despite widespread international criticism, the Taliban continues to impose corporal punishment and public executions as part of its judicial system, drawing concern from global rights advocates and foreign governments.