Foreign Minister Hosein Amir-Abollahian has stated firmly that Iran does not recognize the Taliban government as the representative of the Afghan people, emphasizing the need for the formation of a more inclusive government in the war-torn country. This departure from Iran’s previous stance on the Taliban regime indicates a growing animosity between Tehran and the Taliban, heightening the potential for further confrontations in the future.
On 25 May, Amir-Abollahian asserted Iran’s refusal to recognize the legitimacy of the Taliban. Emphasizing the necessity of an inclusive government in Afghanistan, he acknowledged the presence of the Taliban as a reality within the country, but argued that the group does not represent the entire Afghan landscape. He also revealed that Tehran has actively participated in discussions with Afghan authorities, specifically addressing the pressing issue of the Helmand River and stressing the imperative of adhering to the “legal route” in order to achieve a resolution in the water dispute between the two countries. Escalating tensions between Iran and Afghanistan have been fueled by a deepening dispute over the waters of the river. President Ebrahim Ra’isi’s recent expressions of apprehension regarding the Taliban’s efforts to divert the river’s water, which is a crucial resource for Iran’s parched southeast, have played a significant role in amplifying the ongoing conflict (Daily Summary of 19 May 2023: “Tensions with Taliban Rise as Debate over Division of Water Heats Up”). During the period when the Taliban was gaining control over Afghanistan and was on the verge of displacing the U.S.-backed Afghan government, conservatives in Iran welcomed the militia group, referring to them as a “national force” and “an authentic indigenous force in the region.” In February 2023, Iran transferred control of the Afghan embassy in Tehran to representatives of the Taliban, a move interpreted as an indication of Iran’s recognition and endorsement of the newly formed Islamic group in power. However, there seems to have been a shift in the conservatives’ perception of the Taliban, viewing the group as an adversary. The IRGC-affiliated Tasnim featured an interview addressing the Iran-Afghanistan dispute, arguing that the Taliban’s recent actions could potentially be classified as “water terrorism.” The Jomhuri-ye Eslami newspaper, among the few conservative voices that remained hostile to the Taliban in the last two years, criticized Iran’s handling of the militia group, asserting that its recent actions underscored the mistakes of those who seek to “whitewash” Taliban’s terrorist activities. The paper contended that Tehran’s “strategic error” became more apparent as the Taliban displayed their “unreliability and dishonesty” in recent weeks, arguing that relying on “begging diplomacy” with the Taliban would fail to secure Iran’s water rights. The term “begging diplomacy” was recently on the supreme leader’s lips in his description of the approach certain reformists had adopted towards the West (Daily Summary of 21 May 2023: “Rejecting ’Begging Diplomacy,’ Khamenei Advocates Strategic Flexibility”).
In his remarks on 25 May, Amir-Abdollahian also broke away from Iran’s customary policy of refraining from commenting on domestic Afghan affairs. The Iranian foreign minister expressed concern over the denial of education to Afghan women and girls, arguing that such deprivation runs counter to Islamic teachings.
