Taliban declare Iranian diplomat 'persona non grata', ask him to leave

The Taliban have declared a senior Iranian diplomat "persona non grata", giving him only a few hours to leave Afghanistan, informed sources told Afghanistan International.

The Taliban say Ali Mojani, an advisor to Iran's special representative for Afghan affairs, has "overstepped his boundaries" and must leave Afghanistan immediately, the sources said.

Sources told Afghanistan International that the move is a response to Iran's expulsion of a Taliban diplomat from Mashhad last December. Salim, the Taliban diplomat, was expelled after beating up and torturing an Iranian photographer at the Afghan consulate in Mashhad.

Mojani had recently stated that Taliban members did not allow him to perform Eid al-Adha prayers led by Mullah Hibatullah, the Taliban leader, at Eidgah mosque in Kandahar.

He said he had previously sent an official letter to the Taliban's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to participate in the Eid prayers, but the Ministry did not adhere to diplomatic protocols and did not respond to his official request.

Tensions persist between Iran and the Taliban, particularly regarding water issues.

In January, the Taliban's foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, visited Iran and advocated for increased economic collaboration. Muttaqi met with economic activists from Iran and Afghanistan, urging Iranian traders to capitalize on opportunities in the Afghan market.

Nevertheless, critics within Iran have raised concerns about the government's open borders policy, speculating about potential hidden agendas. Some suggest that authorities might be facilitating illegal Afghan immigration to address population decline or to strengthen the military by recruiting young Shiite Hazara Afghans.

Iran's former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who is expected to serve as a top advisor or cabinet member in the government of president-elect Masoud Pezeshkian, recently said the Taliban's legitimacy remains in question in spite of their ruling neighboring Afghanistan.

In an interview in March, Zarif said the question of the Taliban's legitimacy in Afghanistan remains a highly debated issue both domestically and internationally. He added that “if Iran remains passive in the face of regional dynamics involving the United States, Russia, China, and Pakistan, the matter of Taliban legitimacy could escalate into both an opportunity and a threat for the Islamic Republic.”