A Taliban 'diplomat' has 'tortured' an Iranian photographer at the consulate in Mashhad

A member of the Taliban diplomatic mission allegedly 'dragged' an Iranian photographer 'into the Afghan consulate in Mashhad' and 'tortured' him last December. The newspaper 'Jomhouri Eslami' confirmed this news on Saturday, June 1, stating that this Taliban diplomat is known as 'Dr. Salim.' The newspaper added that this individual was 'expelled from Iran' after the Iranian photographer's complaint, and another diplomat was sent by the Taliban to replace him. According to 'Jomhouri Eslami,' 'Dr. Salim' along with two other diplomats 'took over the Afghan consulate in Mashhad from the current consul without the host country's consent, holding a letter from Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi, the head of the Taliban Foreign Ministry, in violation of diplomatic protocols.' The newspaper stated that the appointment of consular posts should be with the consent of the host country, calling the Taliban's behavior 'a disrespect to Iran.' Despite this behavior, Iranian officials have accepted this mission as the Afghan consulate in Mashhad. The report also mentioned that 'these three Taliban diplomats had previously kidnapped Qari Isa Mohammadi, a prominent opposition member of the Taliban government, at Mashhad airport using diplomatic cover and vehicles.' Mr. Mohammadi stated in a video published on Saturday, June 1, on the Instagram page 'Voice of Kabul' that after 'spending several days in the consulate jail in Mashhad, Iranian government officials said that we are perplexed by the Taliban. We can neither cooperate with them nor reject them due to neighborly relations.' Regarding the beating of the Iranian photographer, Mr. Mohammadi said that after inquiries from Iranian officials, the Taliban consulate responded that they should 'be patient with us' as they 'do not know the protocols of diplomacy' and are 'getting acquainted with governance.' This is not the first time the Islamic Republic's officials' approach to the Taliban government has drawn criticism from media close to the Iranian government. Previously, the administration of Ebrahim Raisi, the former president of Iran, faced significant criticism regarding the issue of securing water rights from the Helmand River. Officials from the Islamic Republic's Foreign Ministry have repeatedly announced negotiations with the Taliban over the Helmand River water rights, but so far these negotiations have not yielded results, and officials from Sistan and Baluchestan province state that the drying of the Hamoun wetland is directly related to the lack of water rights from Afghanistan.