Telegraph: Taliban Gave UK Allies List to Iran In Bid For Recognition

Din Mohammad Hanif made the request in an interview with Japanese broadcaster NHK, saying official recognition would bring economic and political benefits. He added that security in Afghanistan had improved and that Japanese companies now had strong opportunities to invest.

Despite the Taliban’s sweeping restrictions on women, Hanif insisted there were “no problems” regarding women’s rights in Afghanistan. He claimed women faced no threats and said Afghanistan’s religious values should be respected.

So far, Russia is the only country to recognise the Taliban government, a decision analysts believe was driven by security concerns and a lack of alternatives. Other partners, including China, Pakistan and Iran, have accepted Taliban-appointed diplomats but stopped short of granting recognition, describing the prospect as unlikely under current conditions.

The Taliban have also failed in repeated bids to claim Afghanistan’s United Nations seat. Still, the group has portrayed meetings with foreign officials as a sign of acceptance.

The international community has made recognition conditional on the Taliban forming an inclusive government, respecting human rights, committing to counterterrorism, and ensuring women’s right to education and work, as well as establishing a professional administration that represents Afghanistan’s ethnic diversity.

Meanwhile, rights groups have sounded the alarm over the worsening situation for Afghan women. Advocates say Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has turned Afghanistan into a “prison and hell” for women through more than 100 decrees issued over the past four years, imposing severe bans and restrictions on their daily lives.

Susan Ferguson said the crisis, driven by systematic restrictions imposed over the past four years, is increasingly being normalised by the international community.

Ferguson said the Taliban have issued dozens of decrees over the past four years that strip Afghan women of their rights and dignity. She described the enforcement of the so-called “morality law” as a turning point in their systematic exclusion from public life.

“We must stand up for all women and girls in Afghanistan,” Ferguson said, urging stronger global solidarity.

She noted that Afghan women continue to feel unsafe in public spaces and even within their own families, and many do not benefit from the relative security that has emerged since the Taliban’s return to power.

Ferguson called for continued support for women-led NGOs, expanded job opportunities, and stronger participation of Afghan women in international dialogue.

The UN has previously reported that the Taliban have issued nearly 100 restrictive decrees against women since 2021. Ferguson has also stressed that these restrictions extend beyond Afghanistan’s borders, further limiting Afghan women’s mobility and participation.

Ali Akbar Pourjamshidian, Iran’s deputy interior minister, told state broadcaster IRIB that many employers had long relied on Afghan workers. He said more than 6.5 million Afghans were living in Iran before the deportation campaign began, with about two million residing illegally.

Calling undocumented migrants a “major problem,” Pourjamshidian said they must be expelled, though he claimed many had already returned to Afghanistan voluntarily. He added that those leaving voluntarily may be able to return to Iran legally “with the necessary permits, provided conditions allow.”

Jafar Seyedabadi, director general of foreign nationals and migrants affairs in Khorasan Razavi province, said between 3,000 and 4,000 Afghans are being returned daily through the Dogharoun crossing. He said deportations of undocumented migrants would continue until September.

According to Seyedabadi, 844,000 Afghans have been deported through Dogharoun since the beginning of the year.

The commemoration took place at Kabul’s Loya Jirga Hall and was attended by senior officials, including Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs Abdul Salam Hanafi, Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani and Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.

Several influential figures were absent, however, including Prime Minister Mullah Hassan Akhund, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Defence Minister Mullah Yaqub, and Intelligence Chief Abdul Haq Wasiq. Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada also remained unseen, in line with his pattern of avoiding major political gatherings and limiting appearances to small religious events in Kandahar.

Analysts pointed to several factors behind the Taliban’s caution. Previous military parades at Bagram airbase drew sharp criticism from US President Donald Trump, who demanded the return of the base and American-made weaponry. Seeking to avoid further confrontation with Washington, the Taliban refrained from staging a display at Bagram this year.

Despite their anti-US rhetoric, Taliban leaders appear wary of American reactions. On Friday, Muttaqi reiterated that the Taliban seeks better relations with Washington, though US officials have shown little interest.

On the eve of the anniversary, Taliban officials claimed to have foiled an Islamic State (ISIS) plot to attack Bagram, releasing images of a man with two rocket launchers. No event had been scheduled at the base, leading observers to suspect the claim was used to justify the scaled-down commemoration.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid later told local media that funds originally allocated for a military parade were redirected to support Afghan migrants expelled from neighbouring countries.

The muted tone of this year’s anniversary recalls Mujahideen Victory Day on 28 April, once a major public holiday celebrating the 1992 fall of the Soviet-backed government. Initially marked with mass rallies, the event gradually diminished to smaller official gatherings before fading from Afghanistan’s political calendar. Analysts say the Taliban’s “Victory Day” of August 15 could follow the same path.

Hayatullah, known as “Ghalchaki Tangiwal,” urged his supporters on social media to help transport the bodies of those killed in the Zhob incident and to join retaliatory attacks. “Do not leave us alone,” he appealed.

Hayatullah previously commanded the “Fatih Caravan” under Sangeen’s group in the Haqqani Network and led a combat unit in Paktika’s Zerok district.

On 7 August, the Pakistani army used drones to target a group of 33 Pakistani Taliban fighters moving from Paktika’s Warmami district toward Zhob, Balochistan, killing and wounding several.

Sources in Warmami told Afghanistan International that a day later, Hayatullah’s fighters forced doctors from clinics to treat wounded Pakistani Taliban members.

Sangeen’s faction has long been accused of fighting alongside Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) against Pakistani forces. The Afghan Taliban has reportedly placed several of the faction’s leaders, including Bilal Fatih, brother of Mawlawi Sangeen, under house arrest.