Tajikistan: Tehran Involved in Civil War; Iran Denies

On Wednesday, August 9, Tajikistan accused Iran of sending assassins and saboteurs to the country during its civil war in the 1990s, broadcasting a documentary on state television. However, the Iranian embassy in Dushanbe has denied these allegations. According to Reuters, the documentary features confessions from three Tajiks who claim to have participated in the murders of several politicians and other prominent figures in Tajikistan, as well as an attack on a Russian military base, events that occurred between 1994 and 2000. They also assert that they received financial support from the Islamic Republic and that Iran trained them. This is the first time Iran has been publicly accused of intervening in Tajikistan's civil war, which turned the newly established country into a scene of chaos from 1992 to 1997. Meanwhile, Interfax reported from Dushanbe that the Iranian embassy called these accusations 'lies' and 'slander.' The embassy's statement noted, 'The Iranian ambassador is currently outside Tajikistan, but the embassy will soon follow up on the matter. We want to know where these lies and slanders originated and what their source is.' Relations between Iran and Tajikistan have soured since the winter of two years ago when a leader of the banned Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan attended a conference in Tehran, which angered Dushanbe. Reuters reported, citing a spokesperson for the Tajik Ministry of Internal Affairs, that this ministry was involved in the production of the mentioned documentary. The documentary states that one of the three individuals whose confessions were aired has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for murder, sabotage, and illegal possession of weapons, while the other two are still awaiting court rulings. The three identify themselves as supporters of Abdulkhalim Nazarzoda, a former deputy defense minister of Tajikistan who was killed two years ago following a failed coup by the country's security forces, although it is unclear whether they participated in the failed coup. Emomali Rahmon, the president of Tajikistan, accuses his political opponents and the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan of being behind this coup. Muhiddin Kabiri, the leader of the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan, met with Ayatollah Khamenei, the leader of Iran, last year, which provoked Dushanbe's anger. He has fled the country but attended the Tehran conference, which led to Dushanbe's protests. In this context, Tajikistan has banned the import of Iranian goods.