Iran summons Afghan envoy after protesters pellet its consulate

Iran summoned the Afghan envoy to Tehran today and is stopping all consular services in Afghanistan, Iranian state TV reported, a day after protesters threw rocks at Iranian diplomatic missions in Kabul and Herat, Reuters reports.

The protests came after videos posted on Twitter in recent days showed young Afghan refugees in Iran being harassed and humiliated by ordinary Iranians. Reuters could not verify the authenticity of videos.

Iranian officials yesterday denied there was mistreatment of Afghan refugees in Iran, state television reported.

“The Afghan charge d’affaires in Tehran was summoned in protest to attacks on the Iranian embassy in Kabul and the Iranian Consulate in Herat in Afghanistan on Monday,” state TV reported.

Footage on social media, which could not be verified, showed a small group of Afghan protesters throwing rocks at Iran’s diplomatic missions in Kabul and in the western Afghan city of Herat yesterday.

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Iran’s Foreign Ministry said the Taliban, which rules Afghanistan, are responsible for the security and safety of Tehran’s diplomats and announced stopping its consular services in the neighbouring country “until further notice”, state media reported.

Although Iran’s clerical establishment has had generally good relations with the Taliban, there have been long standing tensions along the two countries’ 900-kilometre joint border, which has active smuggling routes.

Over five million Afghans, both documented and undocumented, live in Iran, Iran’s state news agency IRNA quoted Iranian Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian as saying last week.

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