Iran’s ambassador in Kabul said that his country will not recognize the current Afghan government unless its government is inclusive.
He made the remarks in a special interview with TOLOnews’ Bahram Aman in Kabul.
Ambassador Bahadur Aminian said that Tehran might persuade other countries to recognize the Afghan government if the Islamic Emirate brings reforms to its government structure.
“If a group comes (to power) and the group is (comprised) of a single ethnic group and all other ethnic groups are not included in the government, we don’t accept it, and, therefore, we benevolently call on the Taliban rulers to form an inclusive government,” he said.
But the Islamic Emirate said Aminian’s remarks are an attempt to interfere in Afghan affairs.
“Is the government or the cabinet of Iran based on other people’s definition of inclusive?” said Inamullah Samangani, deputy spokesman for the Islamic Emirate. “Every country has their own definition of inclusive government based on their national interests.”
“This government should be inclusive based on the Afghan nation’s wishes, not based on foreign countries’ interference,” said Sayed Javad Husseini, leader of Hezb-e-Adalat wa Tawsa.
The Iranian ambassador said that the current economic crisis will pave the way for extremism, particularly for Daesh.
“If the economic problems remain, it will cause more migration. If the economic problems remain, they will cause extremism, which will not only threaten Afghanistan but also the region,” he said.
Aminian, however, denied reports that Iranian forces were treating Afghan refugees violently, saying that approximately four million Afghans are settled in Iran.
Iran’s government provided educational opportunities for the Afghan refugees, he said.
Aminian is optimistic over the US withdrawal of Afghanistan and says that Tehran considers it part of its revenge against Washington for the killing of Qasem Soleimani, a senior Iranian military official, who was killed by a US drone strike in January 2020 in Iraq.
