Taliban Foreign Minister Visits Iran to Talk About Refugees, Economic Crisis
The foreign minister of the Taliban, the hardline Islamist group that took over Afghanistan after the US and its allies withdrew its troops in late August, visited Iran over the weekend in his first such visit to the Islamic Republic. Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi visited Iran to discuss Afghan refugees and the country’s economic crisis.
Iran has not recognized the Taliban government installed after the takeover. It did not recognize the Taliban’s previous rule over Afghanistan, from 1996 to 2001. Iran last week called on the Taliban to form “an inclusive government which reflects the ethnic and demographic diversity of this country,” rather than the all-male mostly ethnic Pashtun Taliban governing council currently installed in power. The Taliban government still has not achieved recognition by any foreign government or entity.
Iran is home to millions of Afghans and is concerned that more will cross into the Islamic Republic via the two countries’ shared 550-mile border.