Iran’s Chabahar Port Becoming Key Trade Route For Afghanistan, Says Taliban Envoy

The court said the individuals received between 10 and 39 lashes and prison sentences ranging from one to seven years.

In a statement issued on Sunday, 7 December, the Supreme Court said the punishments were carried out by the primary court in Khost. The Taliban did not release details about the identities of those punished or the judicial process behind the rulings.

The Taliban continue to arrest people almost daily on various charges and subject them to public corporal punishment. The group describes public floggings and executions as the enforcement of Sharia law.

Over the past four years, hundreds of people have been flogged in public and at least eleven individuals have been executed. The most recent execution was carried out five days ago at Khost city stadium, where the Taliban said about 80,000 people gathered to witness it.

He warned that instability along neighbouring frontiers poses risks to Iran’s national security. He reaffirmed Tehran’s readiness to help ease tensions and facilitate dialogue.

Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, 7 December, Baghaei referred to Iran’s historical, cultural and religious ties with both Afghanistan and Pakistan. He said Iran shares borders with the two countries and that “any insecurity along our surrounding borders will certainly be harmful to our national security.”

He added that, from the outset of the recent border tensions, the Islamic Republic had stressed its willingness to assist in de-escalation efforts and support dispute resolution through dialogue. According to Baghaei, Iran is working with regional partners to find ways to reduce bilateral tensions.

Relations between Pakistan and the Taliban have deteriorated sharply in recent weeks amid Pakistani airstrikes and disputes over Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi previously said a “regional meeting” would be convened to help lower tensions between the two sides.

The dispute has drawn in other regional actors. Türkiye’s president and several neighbouring leaders have earlier called for dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the crisis.

The delegation called for an end to violence against women during migration, return, and displacement, stressing that support for returning women is a core priority in its programmes.

In a statement posted on X on Sunday, 7 December, the EU Delegation said it remains committed to upholding the dignity of Afghan women and supporting them as the country confronts multiple overlapping crises.

The warning follows a September report by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, which found that restrictions on education, employment, and social participation have created severe challenges for Afghan women and girls, challenges compounded for those returning from Iran and Pakistan.

According to the UN, access to essential services for returning women has sharply declined since 2021. Twenty-one per cent of returnees reported difficulties accessing water, 22 per cent struggled to obtain public health services and 28 per cent faced barriers to legal assistance.

The UN Refugee Agency added that returning women also experience heightened isolation and psychological distress, further deepening their vulnerability.

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said on X on Sunday that the meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. Kabul time. Council members are expected to discuss a broad range of political, human rights, humanitarian, social, and economic challenges facing the country.

In previous briefings, most Security Council members have voiced alarm over Taliban policies and the deteriorating human rights environment.

The Taliban, however, have dismissed such global meetings as ineffective, arguing that outcomes lack legitimacy because the group is excluded from international forums. They have repeatedly urged countries to engage directly with their administration.

Susan Ferguson, UN Women’s representative in Afghanistan, said in a statement that humanitarian assistance “must be delivered by women, to women.” She noted that for 91 days Afghan female UN staff had continued their essential work from home and in the field despite being denied office access.

Ferguson said Afghan women are central to the UN’s operations in the country, adding that only with their presence can the organisation reach women and girls safely and provide culturally appropriate support. She said the United Nations remains firmly opposed to the Taliban’s restrictions, which she described as violations of fundamental human rights and principles of equality enshrined in the UN Charter, and measures that undermine the organisation’s ability to function.

She called for an immediate reversal of the ban on Afghan female staff and contractors entering UN premises, urging the Taliban to guarantee their safe access to offices and field sites so that assistance can reach the women and girls most in need.

Sources told Afghanistan International in early September that Taliban security forces had blocked female UN employees from entering the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) office in Kabul. According to the sources, Taliban personnel told the women that they were prohibited from entering their workplace by order of Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.

The UN later warned that the move would severely limit efforts to reach vulnerable communities in multiple provinces. The organisation said that on 7 September Taliban forces prevented female Afghan staff from entering UN facilities in Kabul, Herat, and Mazar-e Sharif, posting guards outside and informing women they were not permitted to work for the UN or any institution.

The Taliban had previously banned Afghan women and girls from working for domestic and international organisations, though a special arrangement with the UN had allowed female UN staff to continue operating. The UN has also said that gender-based restrictions have impeded women’s access to health care in areas affected by recent earthquakes.