Iranian state media reported on Tuesday that the Iranian embassy in the Afghan capital Kabul would stay open and maintain all its services. The statement came while many nations have withdrawn their diplomatic personnel from Kabul following the Taliban’s seizure of the capital, citing security concerns.
According to the official news agency IRNA, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said, “The embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Kabul is fully open and active. Iran’s consulate general in Herat is also open and active.” He did not provide further details.
A day before, Tehran expressed its pleasure from the US’ ‘military failure’, as US troops have withdrawn from Afghanistan. Commenting on the latest situation in the South Asian country, Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi stated on Monday that the ‘military failure’ of the US provides an opportunity to achieve long-term peace in the war-torn country.
Despite the long-term hostility between Shi’ite Muslim Iran and the hardline Sunni Muslim Taliban, officials from both sides have openly engaged in talks in recent years. In fact, Tehran hosted a meeting between then-Afghan government representatives and a high-level Taliban delegation in July.
On the other hand, spokesperson Khatibzadeh announced on Sunday that Tehran suspended operations at consulates in the Afghan cities of Mazar-i Sharif, Jalalabad, and Kandahar, which had also been captured by the Taliban.
According to a senior Taliban official who made statements on Tuesday, the group’s members have been told to keep order and not to break into any diplomatic residentials or intervene with embassy vehicles.
