The Afghanistan embassy in Tehran was “formally” handed over to the Taliban on Sunday afternoon, according to an Afghan diplomat in Iran.
The outgoing ambassador of Afghanistan gave over all documents and equipment of the Afghanistan embassy in Tehran to the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to a source, the Taliban-led government has appointed Fazl Mohammad Haqqani, the first secretary of the former ambassador of Afghanistan in Iran, as the group’s charge d’affaires in Tehran.
Earlier last week, an unofficial source said that the Iranian Foreign Minister had planned to hand over the Afghan embassy in Tehran to the Taliban government after months of negotiations.
Previously, Mohammad Afzal Haqqani was named as the ambassador to Iran, according to a letter from Afghanistan’s foreign ministry. The letter stated that Haqqani would be in charge of the diplomatic mission in Iran as the embassy’s first secretary.
Initially, Haqqani had left Tehran for Kabul, returned to Tehran, and presented his letter of appointment as the Afghan Embassy’s chief. Haqqani was not. However, the Iranian Foreign Ministry had yet to accept Haqqani as the new ambassador to Tehran then.
Iran is the third country after Pakistan and Russia that handed the Afghan embassy to the Taliban. Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, Iran has actively engaged with the Taliban, and its diplomatic mission has operated in Kabul.
Recently, Iran and China called on the Taliban to form an inclusive government in Afghanistan to include all ethnic groups, religions, politicians and minorities. However, the Taliban government has not been recognized internationally.
