Iran summons Afghan envoy over attack on diplomatic missions

AP , Tuesday 12 Apr 2022

Iran on Tuesday summoned Afghanistan's envoy in Tehran over attacks the previous day on Iranian diplomatic missions in the neighboring country, state media in Iran reported.

Protest in Afghanistan against Iran
Afghan protestors throw stones at the building of Iranian consulate during a demonstration against the alleged published reports of harassment of Afghan refugees in Iran, in Herat on April 11, 2022. AFP

According to the reports, Iran's foreign ministry summoned the Afghan charge d'affaires in protest over Monday's attacks on the Iranian Embassy in Kabul and the Iranian Consulate in Herat, where protests had turned aggressive. In Herat, angry Afghan protesters pelted the consulate with rocks.

The ministry demanded that Afghanistan's new Taliban rulers provide the missions with full security and said they 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 5 million, from nearly 4 million before the Taliban took power last August.

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