Fact-Checking a Claim; Afghan Poet Introduced 'Panjshir' as Part of Iran in Meeting with Ali Khamenei

The website 'Poligraph' has fact-checked the incorrect claim of an Afghan immigrant poet who introduced 'Panjshir' as part of Iran during a meeting with Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic. According to the Tasnim news agency, Najib Baroor, Mohammad Kazem Kazemi, and Seyyed Hakim, three Afghan poets residing in Iran, were among those who met with Ali Khamenei on April 6 at the Khomeini Hosseiniyeh, part of the Supreme Leader's residence. In this meeting, Khamenei spoke about various political and social issues, as well as the importance of Persian poetry and literature, and several poets present recited their poems for the Supreme Leader. However, during the program, Najib Baroor, the Afghan poet, before reciting his poem for Khamenei, told him: 'I have come from the far regions of Iran, from the Hindu Kush mountains and Panjshir.' Poligraph points out that this claim is 'incorrect,' stating that 'Panjshir, which means five lions in Dari, is one of the provinces of Afghanistan located in the northeastern part of the country, hundreds of kilometers away from the Afghanistan-Iran border.' The website cites an Afghan site stating that Najib Baroor fled to Iran just a few months after the Taliban came to power in 2021. The publication of Najib Baroor's statements on social media has sparked a lot of reactions, with some users humorously asking whether they now need a visa to travel to other provinces of Afghanistan. One user, noting that Najib Baroor referred to Panjshir as 'the farthest point of Iran,' asked if he now needs a visa to visit his friends in Panjshir from Salang, which is also part of Afghanistan. Najib Baroor's incorrect claim about Panjshir has become the subject of many jokes and humorous content in the media and social networks.