ISLAMABAD, Dec 12, 2025: Iran wish to hold a regional meeting in Tehran for dialogue and exchange of views regarding developments related to Afghanistan has been torpedoed by the ruling Afghan Taliban by announcing they will miss it. But why?
A spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Esmaeil Baqaei, announced plans to hold the meeting of special representatives
on Afghan affairs from Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, China,
and Russia.
He told reporters that Iran’s ongoing consultations with
neighboring countries, including Pakistan and Afghanistan, aimed at
strengthening peace and stability in the region.
Not mentioning ongoing acrimony between Pakistan and
Afghanistan, he said late on Thursday that the Iran attached fundamental
importance to security and stability in its neighborhood and will spare no
effort to reduce tensions among regional countries and to promote mutual
understanding.
He described the upcoming meeting as the result of
consultations at various levels with neighboring states and other regional
parties, expressing hope that this initiative will play an effective role in
fostering convergence and easing tensions.
But Afghan Taliban Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said on Saturday it will not attend. No clear reason for the decision has been given but Hafiz Zia Ahmad Takal, deputy spokesman for MoFA, emphasised that it believes in promoting regional understanding and cooperation by strengthening existing regional formats.
Regarding the reasons for not attending the huddle, he said
that the IEA maintains continuous active ties with all regional countries
through regional organisations, formats and bilateral mechanisms and achieved
significant practical progress in promoting regional understanding and
cooperation.
So what could be possible reasons for the Afghan Taliban's
absence from the important Tehran moot? Let try to understand.
Afghan Taliban seem not keen on attend meetings titled 'Afghanistan crisis and problems etc', claiming there is no crisis in the country.
Sami Yousafzai, a senior journalist, quotes a Taliban leader as saying:
“When they label Afghanistan as a challenge or a problem and talk about finding solutions, sitting with them would ultimately mean the Taliban accept that narrative. Obviously, If we don’t attend, they may speak negatively without our response on spot —but attending would be an endorsement.
Afghan Refugees
The Taliban's relationship with Iran are complex. Historical
tensions or recent diplomatic disagreements could be one reason for them to
decline participation. Iran, itself under severe unilateral international
sanctions and tensions with the US, says has borne the disproportionate burden
of hosting millions of Afghan refugees for decades. This responsibility, in the
absence of adequate international support, has created enormous economic and
security pressures, with annual costs estimated at nearly $10 billion.
The deportation of Afghans from Iran in 2025 sharply
accelerated in June and July 2025, following a 12-day conflict between Iran and
Israel. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that over
half a million Afghans were expelled in a 16-day period, in what was described
as potentially one of the largest forced movements of a population in the
decade. According to reports, Iran intends to expel four million more Afghans
from Iran. As of July 2025, around 1.1 million have been expelled.
Iran like Pakistan has taken a strong stance on issues
relating to Afghanistan lately.
Criticism at UN?
Iranian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN Amir Saeid Iravani on December 10, 2025 made a strong case against the Taliban at the Security Council.
He emphasized that the return of the undocumented
Afghan citizens has been carried out in full compliance with the international
law and humanitarian principles, and with full respect for human dignity.
He regretted that despite the tireless efforts and work of
UNAMA and UN agencies, the Afghan people continue to face severe humanitarian
and security challenges, persistent restrictions against women and girls, and
threats from terrorism and narcotics, particularly synthetic drugs. He
expressed concern on the situation of women and girls. “Systematic restrictions
on education, employment, and public participation are incompatible with the
teachings of Islam and with human dignity. We call on the de facto authorities
to reverse these measures,” he added.
The Iranian diplomat also emphasized the establishment of a
truly representative and inclusive government which he called essential for
achieving lasting peace and stability, preventing renewed conflict and
large-scale refugee flows, and ensuring security, economic recovery, and
respect for human rights, especially the rights of women and girls.
Iran also did not hide its concern about the threat posed by
terrorist groups, including ISIL-K, in Afghanistan.
Amir Saeid Iravani said:
“We are deeply concerned by recent security and border incidents between Afghanistan and its neighbours. Iran shares nearly 2,000 kilometers of border with Afghanistan and Pakistan, and our security is inseparably linked to that of both neighbours. Afghan territory must not be used as a base for terrorism or violence against neighboring countries, and the de facto authorities must bear full responsibility for preventing any form of support to terrorist entities.”
Maybe this was too much for the Afghan Taliban to digest.
Also senior journalist Sami Yousafzai wrote in a post on
social media platform X that Afghan Taliban may not want to annoy Saudi Arabia
by getting close to Iran. Reports suggest an Afghan delegation went to Riyadh
in bid to de-escalate tensions with Pakistan.
A day back, Pakistan Prime Minister Mohammad Shahbaz Sharif
too in his speech at Ashgabat asked the world to help counter terrorism
emanating from Afghanistan.
Afghan Taliban are already engaging with Qatar, Turkey and Saudi Arabia on defusing tensions with Pakistan, it may not want to hear the same at Tehran.
The Taliban may choose to avoid meetings that do not align with their political agenda or that could portray them unfavorably in front of their domestic or international audience.
Comments
Post a Comment