A high-level Taliban delegation visited Iran on January 9 to discuss economic ties and Afghan refugees. This is the first visit to Tehran by their most senior leaders since the Taliban seized power in Kabul.
Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi led the Afghan delegation. The delegation met not only with Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein Amir Abdullahian but also with key figures in the Afghan opposition. A Taliban spokesman called the foreign minister's meeting with Iranian officials "positive and constructive."
No country has recognized the Taliban since they came to power in Afghanistan in August last year, but Iran is one of the few countries that has continued talks with the Taliban and its neighbor in the east (Afghanistan). Maintain trade relations and contacts with
Tehran insists it has no plans to recognize the Taliban's interim government, but Mottaki's visit suggests something else.
Is Iran going to recognize the Taliban?
Iran has been saying for months that it is not ready to recognize the Taliban as the "legitimate ruler" of Afghanistan.
On January 10, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzada reiterated Iran's position that Tehran was "not in a position" to recognize the Islamist group (Taliban) 's interim government.
The Iranian ambassador to Kabul, Bahadur Aminyan, said in an interview with Afghanistan's private TV channel Tolo News on January 3 that in order to recognize the Iranian Taliban, the Taliban must form a "comprehensive government" that Reflects groups.
Prior to Mottaki's visit, an Iranian news website had alleged that Tehran was preparing to hand over the Afghan embassy to the Taliban. However, the Foreign Ministry denied the report, saying it violated the 1961 Vienna Convention.
Position after the visit of the pious
In an interview with TOLOnews, Aminian said that as soon as a comprehensive government is formed in Afghanistan, Iran will not only recognize the Taliban government but will also "persuade other countries" to do so.
He added that a comprehensive government could be formed "either through elections or through Afghanistan's own traditions". This is an interesting statement from a representative of a country whose Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei last year criticized and ridiculed Arab monarchies for not holding elections.
The Iranian leader had said in June 2021 that "in the middle of the 21st century, there are some countries which ... Running the same tribe (family). The fragrance of elections has not reached these countries. Their people do not know the difference between a ballot box and a fruit box.
Iranian Foreign Minister Amir Abdullahian holds talks with his Afghan counterpart Amir Khan Mottaki in Tehran on January 9, 2022.
Therefore, it seems that Iran does not need the will of the people to recognize the Taliban-led Afghanistan, but demands that people from different tribes be included in the administration.
On January 11, the newspaper Jamhuri-e-Islami said that because the Taliban had rejected the election, it meant that "Iran will not recognize the Taliban in any way based on the conditions set by the top officials of the establishment." Will not.'
But Iran's statement, on the other hand, suggests something else. It seems that Iran is moving towards recognizing the legitimacy of the Taliban. In a statement, the Iranian Foreign Ministry described the meeting between Amir Abdullahian and Mottaki as "acting head of the Afghan Foreign Ministry." Just a day earlier, the state-run news agency Arna had called him "the Taliban's foreign minister."
Iran's advantage
Iran is one of the few countries that did not sever ties with Afghanistan after the Taliban seized power. These countries include Pakistan and Russia. The main reason is that Iran needs Afghanistan.
In March last year (2020-21), Iran exported Ú©Ùˆ 2.3 billion worth of goods to Afghanistan, making it one of the five largest exporters to the Islamic Republic.
In addition, due to US sanctions, Afghanistan's third-largest city, Herat, is now an important source of hard currency for Iran.
Not surprisingly, Tehran has called for international pressure on the United States to release funds seized since the Taliban took office in August. The Afghan central bank's overseas assets are worth about ً 10 billion, according to Reuters.
The hardline newspaper, Jawan, affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), praised Iran's "policy of effective relations" with Afghanistan on January 11, saying Mottaki's visit shows that the policy works. Has been
Since the fall of Kabul to the Taliban, Iran has been involved in efforts to stabilize Afghanistan and has hosted meetings between various Afghan groups on various occasions.
On January 9, he also mediated a meeting in Tehran between the pious and senior opposition leaders Ahmed Massoud and Ismail Khan. Even before the fall of former President Ashraf Ghani's government, Tehran tried to mediate between the administration and the Taliban.
It is obvious that no matter who is in power in Kabul. Iran has always wanted to be involved in the future of Afghanistan, and although it has not yet recognized the Taliban, it seems that recognizing their legitimacy is not far off.
