Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of Iran’s Armed Forces, announced on Friday that 100 kilometres of a new border wall along the Razavi Khorasan Province frontier with Afghanistan have been finished.
Speaking during a visit to the construction site, Bagheri said the barrier incorporates “electronic and fully smart technologies” tailored to the region’s terrain.
According to the Islamic Republic News Agency, the project includes the erection of watchtowers and border outposts at strategic intervals.
Bagheri emphasised that the wall will bolster long-term regional security and significantly curb drug trafficking, the smuggling of prohibited goods, and unauthorised crossings by Afghan nationals into Iran.
Despite Tehran’s pragmatic ties with the Taliban, Iranian officials remain wary of infiltration by extremist groups and the continued surge of undocumented Afghan migrants. The wall, Bagheri added, is a vital element in Iran’s broader strategy to manage its eastern frontier and protect national stability.
Dozens of Afghan women’s civil society organisations have demanded that international bodies launch legal proceedings against Cheryl Benard, wife of former US special representative Zalmay Khalilzad, for comments they say downplayed the Taliban’s gender-based repression.
In an open letter signed by 64 groups, they call on the International Criminal Court, the United Nations, human rights agencies, the European Union, the US government and international media to investigate and prosecute Benard for “denial of gender-based violence” and “complicity in crimes against humanity.” The letter accuses her of whitewashing the Taliban regime and normalising its systemic oppression of women and girls.
Benard, an author and researcher, recently asserted that Afghan women have not been excluded from society, continue to live and work normally, and that it is safe for refugees to return.
Activists counter that her remarks contradict verified findings by the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Afghanistan, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and Amnesty International, as well as numerous survivor testimonies.
“By denying these crimes, discrediting internationally verified reports and promoting return to a regime of systemic violence, Cheryl Benard stands as a complicit actor,” the letter states. Signatories also argue that her close ties to Khalilzad, a principal architect of the US-Taliban peace process, underpin a political motive to soften the Taliban’s international image.
Cheryl Benard, author and wife of former US Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad, said she would “celebrate and eat ice cream” if Afghan women were freed from Taliban rule, urging Afghans to resist gender apartheid from within the country.
In an exclusive interview with Afghanistan International, Benard said that she was aware of criticism from Afghan women who accuse her of downplaying Taliban repression. She said those seeking to remain in the United States are choosing freedom, while many European countries are now pursuing deportation of Afghan refugees.
Benard said meaningful change would only come if Afghans return and challenge Taliban rule from within. “If Afghan refugees return and fight gender apartheid from within, I would support them,” she said, accusing some educated Afghan women of abandoning their less-privileged counterparts.
She described the situation in Afghanistan as gender apartheid but argued that, like apartheid-era South Africa, internal resistance is key. While criticising the Taliban’s policies on women’s education, which she called “unacceptable,” Benard said the group reflects rural and Pashtun traditions the West failed to reform during its 20-year presence.
Benard claimed security in Afghanistan is currently the best it has been in 15 years and disputed reports of widespread violence against women and former officials. She urged Afghan intellectuals to remain in the country and work toward change rather than rely on international intervention.
Describing the Taliban as pragmatic actors seeking global legitimacy, Benard said they understand that harming returnees would hurt their international standing.
The Taliban embassy in Tehran has announced the suspension of various consular services, including the issuance and renewal of passports and other legal documents, effective Saturday, 24 May.
In a statement posted on the social media platform X, the embassy confirmed that services such as the processing of passports, as well as the issuance of marriage certificates, divorce certificates, birth certificates, legal guarantees, and certificates of non-criminal liability, will be temporarily halted.
The embassy urged Afghan nationals residing in Iran to refrain from visiting the consular section until further notice. No explanation has been provided for the suspension, and the Taliban authorities have not indicated when services will resume.
This suspension affects thousands of Afghan citizens in Iran who rely on the embassy for essential legal documentation.
Mohammad Amir Tawasoli, a former pilot in the Afghan army, has died by suicide in Mashhad, Iran, after reportedly receiving an exit notice from Iranian authorities.
Sources told Afghanistan International that Tawasoli took his own life due to fear of deportation and potential reprisals by the Taliban upon return to Afghanistan.
Hamidreza Kafinia, head of Mashhad’s fire department, confirmed that a 40-year-old man died by self-immolation in a residential property in the Golshahr area of Mashhad on Sunday, 18 May. He stated the incident occurred around 12:52 pm and that the man had suffered fatal burns before emergency services arrived. Kafinia did not disclose the identity of the deceased.
According to sources, Tawasoli had visited the Kefalat office to renew his residency permit but was instead issued an exit notice. The reasons for the denial of his residency extension remain unclear. The pilot had reportedly lost hope following the rejection and ended his life shortly thereafter.
Mohammad Mohaqiq, a senior member of the National Resistance Council for the Salvation of Afghanistan, expressed sorrow over the incident. Mohaqiq, who recently led a delegation to Iran, said Iranian officials had pledged not to deport vulnerable Afghan migrants, including former military personnel and officials from the previous government.
He called on Iranian authorities to act with “Islamic mercy and compassion” in their treatment of Afghan migrants to prevent further tragedies.
Following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, thousands of former Afghan military and government personnel sought refuge in Iran. Many now face deportation amid tightening regulations. While Iranian authorities reportedly provide a six-month residency extension for such individuals upon verification by international organisations, the renewal process remains fraught with challenges.
Several former officials who have returned to Afghanistan have reportedly faced arrest, persecution, or death at the hands of the Taliban.
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, leader of Afghanistan’s Hezb-e Islami party, has called on Afghans to unite in the face of what he describes as renewed external threats and potential geopolitical manoeuvring over Afghanistan.
In a statement shared on the social media platform X, Hekmatyar warned that failure to adopt a unified national stance could result in fragmentation, chaos, and renewed conflict.
Citing reports and comments from Russian and American officials, Hekmatyar claimed that Moscow and Washington are exploring a potential agreement in which the United States would cede Ukraine to Russia in exchange for regaining access to Bagram Airfield and the recovery of leftover American weapons in Afghanistan.
He referred to statements from Russia’s Foreign Minister indicating Moscow’s openness to dialogue with Washington on Afghanistan, and noted that discussions between the two countries on this issue reportedly continued until 2022. Hekmatyar also mentioned remarks by Russia’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, who stated that Bagram Airfield held no special importance for Moscow, a claim Hekmatyar views as strategic posturing ahead of possible negotiations.
Pointing to growing concern in Russia, Pakistan, and India about American arms left behind in Afghanistan, Hekmatyar argued that Moscow’s interest in resuming dialogue with the US is part of a broader effort to reach a deal involving Ukraine, Afghanistan, and strategic infrastructure such as Bagram.
He suggested that US President Donald Trump’s public stance on Ukraine, as well as his reported attitude toward Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, hinted at Washington’s willingness to make such a trade-off. “Statements by Russian officials indicate that Moscow is fully prepared for such a deal,” he wrote.
Hekmatyar also warned that the Taliban’s decision to join China’s air corridor initiative could trigger a regional backlash involving the United States, India, and Iran. He claimed this move undermines the Chabahar Port development project, a joint venture between Iran and India, and contradicts Washington’s expectations that the Taliban would avoid aligning with US adversaries.
He further speculated that countries such as Pakistan, India, Iran, and Russia could ultimately cooperate with the United States on Afghanistan, much like during the US-led occupation, in an effort to reclaim influence over strategic assets such as Bagram Airfield.
“These threats are real, not imaginary or born of illusion. They have happened before and may happen again,” Hekmatyar warned, stating that Afghanistan now stands on the threshold of a new and potentially perilous phase.
In a plea for national solidarity, he posed a stark question: “Are we prepared to confront these threats, or will some surrender tomorrow, some flee to the mountains, and others escape abroad in moments of crisis?”
Concluding his statement, Hekmatyar urged Afghans to reflect on past experiences and to adopt a unified strategy to face emerging geopolitical risks. “We must have learned many lessons from our history,” he wrote.