Iranian foreign ministry summoned Afghan ambassador in Tehran to protest against the recent demonstrations and attacks against Iranian embassy in Kabul.
According to Iranian media, the Afghan ambassador was warned against the “negative effects” of such actions on the bilateral relations of the two countries and also urged to call on the Afghan government to confront the perpetrators of these activities.
Iranian media went on to report that the Afghan president expressed “regret” regarding these events and assured Islamic Republic authorities that his country will “take all necessary action” to rectify the situation.
In the past weeks, the Iranian embassy in Kabul was the site of several demonstrations in protest to Iran’s stopping of fuel trucks travelling through Iran from Turkmenistan and Iraq to Afghanistan.
The demonstrators burned pictures of Iranian supreme leader and president while chanting anti-Islamic Republic slogans and pelting the embassy building with rocks and eggs.
Yesterday, Iranian ambassador in Kabul also called on the Afghan government to identify and prosecute the perpetrators of these protests which he contended were “mercenary Western elements.”
However, Rafi Ferdows, an Afghan government media centre aide told BBC that freedom of speech and the right to protest are part of the Afghan constitution and the government does not intend to violate this law.
He added: “Kabul is not Tehran. The freedom of speech, guaranteed by the constitution, gives everyone the right to protest against anything and express his/her opinion.”
While reportedly 1900 fuel trucks have been blocked from passage to Afghanistan in Iran in the past two months, Iranian foreign ministry claims that the matter was resolved following talks between representatives from the two countries and that the trucks have already left for Afghanistan.
Iranian authorities contend that a certain group in Afghanistan is trying to strain Iran-Afghanistan relations.
Afghan authorities still maintain that despite all agreements, Iran continues to restrict the transit of the fuel trucks.
