12 April 2022

Iran summons Afghan envoy over attack on diplomatic missions

12 April 2022

Iran has summoned Afghanistan’s envoy in Tehran over attacks the previous day on Iranian diplomatic missions in the neighbouring country, state media reported.

Iran’s foreign ministry has reportedly summoned the Afghan charge d’affaires following Monday’s attacks on the Iranian Embassy in Kabul and the Iranian Consulate in Herat, where demonstrations over the alleged torture of Afghan refugees in Iran had turned aggressive.

In Herat, angry Afghan protesters pelted the consulate with rocks.

Afghans chant slogans against Iran during a demonstration in Kabul (AP) (AP)

The ministry demanded that Afghanistan’s new Taliban rulers provide the missions with full security and said they had stopped working until further notice.

On Monday, ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said more needed to be done by the Taliban to ensure security to Iranian missions.

In recent weeks, unverified videos purporting to show Afghan refugees being tortured in Iran have been published on social media, angering many Afghans. Iran has denied the accusations.

Iran hosts millions of Afghan refugees.

Last week, Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said the number of Afghans in Iran has jumped to five million, from nearly four million before the Taliban took power last August.

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