Tehran Advises Taliban Not To Dodge Intl. Responsibilities
Iran’s assistant FM indirectly criticized the remarks made by the Taliban's Foreign Minister regarding the establishment of an inclusive government in Afghanistan.
Iran’s assistant FM indirectly criticized the remarks made by the Taliban's Foreign Minister regarding the establishment of an inclusive government in Afghanistan.
Rasoul Mousavi emphasized the importance of "peace, stability, security, and sustainable development" in relation to the formation of a comprehensive government in Afghanistan as well as stating that "personalization" cannot exempt the Taliban from international responsibilities.
He cited United Nations Security Council resolutions 2513 and 2593, as well as consensus meetings among neighboring countries including Pakistan, China, Uzbekistan, and Iran
Mousavi spoke following criticism from Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban's Foreign Minister, against countries advocating for an inclusive government in Afghanistan. Although no specific reference was made to Iran, it is widely assumed that his remarks were aimed at the Islamic Republic. "Our prisons do not have as many inmates as you execute,” he said.
In recent years, Iran has faced allegations of making opponents disappear and executing them. "In your country, thousands have disappeared, yet nobody dares to ask about it," Muttaqi.
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic, had previously stated that the Taliban is "part of the reality of Afghanistan, not all of it." He emphasized that Iran does not recognize the Taliban government until the formation of an all-inclusive government and expressed dissatisfaction with the Taliban's policies regarding women's education.
Reps. Mark Green (R., Tenn.), the House Homeland Security chair, and August Pfluger (R., Texas) have written to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, FBI Director Christopher Wray and Director of National Counterterrorism Center Christine Abizaid, “to request additional information about the persistent threats posed by Iran’s campaign to direct operations against U.S. persons or other targets in the U.S. homeland.”
Since the targeted killing of Qasem Soleimani, Iran’s top military and intelligence operator in the Middle East, in January 2020, the Iranian regime has repeatedly threatened revenge of former Trump administration officials.
The Justice Department revealed on August 10, 2022, that an operative of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard tried to hire a hitman in the US to kill former National Security Adviser John Bolton.
Bolton told Iran International Television at the time that he was not surprised an indictment was unsealed because he was kept informed “in general terms until late in 2021 when it was determined I would again get secret service protection.”
Congressmen Green and Pfluger citing Bolton’s case also mentioned threats against former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and others. “Further, credible threats by Iran have continued to persist against Pompeo as well as his former top aide, Brian Hook, who served as special representative for Iran during the prior administration.”
The letter cited Iran’s militant proxy the Hezbollah, which is designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the United States, and its global reach. It cited testimony by FBI Director Wray who told Congress that the Lebanese Shiite group has sent operatives “to build terrorist infrastructure worldwide. The arrests of individuals in the United States allegedly linked to Hizballah’s main overseas terrorist arm, and their intelligence collection and procurement efforts, demonstrate Hizballah’s interest in long-term contingency planning activities here in the Homeland.”
The lawmakers expressed concern that the Biden administration continues to engage with Iran for a nuclear deal, while these activities continue.
“To assist the Committee’s examination of the threats posed by Iran in the U.S. homeland, we request that DHS, the FBI, and NCTC provide Committee staff a classified briefing no later than September 14, 2023 about these ongoing threats, to include but not limited to, information about the number of active plots by Iran or its proxies against U.S. persons living in the United States, as well as information about your respective agencies’ coordination efforts for threat intelligence to counter Iran’s activities,” the letter said.
In August the administration agreed to allow $6 billion of frozen Iranian funds in South Korea to be unblocked, after allowing $2.7 billion to be released from Iraq in June. Although the reason for these steps is presented as a hostage release deal, numerous reports have indicated the possible existence of more secret arrangements.
Iran has reportedly reduced the pace of its uranium enrichment, while the Biden administration look the other way as Tehran boosts its oil exports to China in violation of US sanctions. Iran’s oil exports in August reached nearly 2 million barrels per day, regaining almost all its lost market since the Trump administration withdrew from the JCPOA nuclear agreement and imposed sanctions in 2018.
