KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban is urging Iran to take the lead in officially recognizing its government in Afghanistan, citing their ongoing political and economic ties.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s chief spokesman, emphasized this request in a Sunday interview with Iran’s Tabnak News Agency. “We expect the Islamic Republic of Iran to take a leading role in recognizing our government over any other country,” Mujahid said. “This recognition should be a priority for Iran.”
No country has yet formally recognized the Taliban government. However, many nations, including Iran, maintain diplomatic and economic ties. Iran’s embassy in Kabul remains open, and it has transferred control of Afghanistan’s embassy in Tehran to the Taliban.
While Iran, like others, has engaged with the Taliban, it has also repeatedly called for an inclusive government representing all Afghan ethnicities and political factions. Additionally, Tehran has urged the Taliban to reverse discriminatory measures against women, minorities, and religious groups.
A recent report by the U.S.-based Middle East Institute highlights the ethnic makeup of the Taliban leadership: 90% Pashtun, followed by 5.4% Tajiks, 2.8% Uzbeks, and 0.7% Hazaras.
A few months after the Taliban’s return to power, the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi urged the regime to form a government inclusive of all ethnicities and groups to pave the way for peace and development in the country.
Last year, the late foreign minister of Iran, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, emphasized the need for an inclusive government as a prerequisite for peace and development. “We are disappointed by the lack of an inclusive government,” Amir-Abdollahian said last year. “We have stressed the need for its formation. The Taliban are part of Afghanistan’s reality, but not all of it.”
The Taliban, however, has consistently rejected calls for an inclusive government, calling it an internal matter and urging non-interference from other countries.
