The Iranian newspaper Jomhouri-e Eslami has issued a stark warning about the potential risk of Taliban infiltration into Iran's newly elected administration.
In an article published on Sunday, September 1st, the newspaper expressed concerns that the groundwork laid by Iran's previous twelfth government, and further facilitated by the thirteenth, has allowed the Taliban to gain a significant foothold in the country.
The article notes that the thirteenth government provided the Taliban with extensive support, including handing over the Afghan embassy in Tehran and the consulate in Mashhad to the group, inviting Taliban representatives to official meetings, and allowing unregulated entry of Afghan nationals into Iran. This transfer of diplomatic facilities to the Taliban took place in February 2023 for the embassy and in July 2024 for the consulate.
Jomhouri-e Eslami cautioned that the Taliban, leveraging the support and resources they have received, could infiltrate tens of thousands of their trained members into Iran, establishing them in various regions across the country. The article alleges that these infiltrated Taliban members are armed and have already been involved in numerous criminal activities in both cities and villages within Iran.
The newspaper also suggested that some of the perpetrators behind recent explosions and assassinations, such as those in Kerman, Mashhad, and Shah Cheragh in Shiraz, were Taliban members. However, it claims that Iranian authorities have not disclosed these connections due to misplaced considerations.
Criticising both the twelfth and thirteenth Iranian governments, Jomhouri-e Eslami emphasised that the Taliban view the people of Iran as infidels and believe that killing them is a religious obligation.
The article further highlighted that the Taliban have shown no respect for Iran's legal rights, including those related to the Helmand water dispute, border regulations, and the activities of cultural and humanitarian iran orgnisations in Afghanistan. Additionally, it accused the Taliban of oppressing Persian speakers and Shia Muslims within Afghanistan.
Despite not officially recognising the Taliban, Iran has maintained extensive diplomatic and economic relations with the group. Over the past three years, numerous meetings between Taliban officials and Iranian representatives have taken place in Tehran and Kabul.
Jomhouri-e Eslami expressed concerns that the Iranian public fears a repeat of the historical era of Mahmoud Afghan under the Taliban's influence.
The article added that all of Afghanistan's neighbouring countries have experienced increased insecurity since the Taliban's takeover, with the group recruiting from these countries and contributing to regional instability.
The newspaper concluded by urging Iran's fourteenth government to take decisive action using political leverage to counter this threat. It also recommended an urgent and serious reassessment of the officials at Iran's embassy in Kabul.