In rare reviews, Grand Ayatollah warns Iran not to trust the Taliban

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One of Iran’s top clerics warned the Iranian government not to trust a “terrorist” group “whose evil and murderous nature is no secret to the world”.

Grand Ayatollah Lotfollah Safi Golpaygani, one of Iran’s top clerics, lambasted the Islamic Republic’s “soft policies” at a time of rapid Taliban advances and widespread atrocities in Afghanistan.

Such an approach, he warned, “is a serious and irreparable mistake”. He warned the Iranian government not to trust a “terrorist” group “whose evil and murderous nature is no secret, Al Monitor reported.

Golpaygani called on Iran and the international community to “act seriously” to prevent further “Taliban aggression against oppressed Afghans”.

The report says the remarks were made in reaction to what has turned out to be Iran’s shifting approach in light of Taliban control over swathes of territory across Afghanistan.

With the withdrawal of the United States and NATO from the war-torn country and the resulting vacuum, Tehran increasingly seeks to redefine its presence in the new power game. Just last week, Tehran hosted a meeting between a delegation from the Afghan government and Taliban leaders in recognition of the latter’s role in Afghanistan’s political future, according to the report.

The shifting position has been more openly exposed by the media representing the toughest sectors of the ruling establishment, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

In particular, the ultraconservative daily Kayhan drew criticism from both Iranians and Afghans after publishing an editorial in early July on the advance of the Taliban, “in which there was no sign of atrocities in the manner. ISIS ”and that the group“ declared that it had no intention of harming Shiite communities ”.

Rival reformist newspaper Etemad accused Kayhan of being the militant group’s spokesperson. Others went further, claiming that Kayhan was “canonizing” the militant group. Faced with the growing backlash, the newspaper retracted its position in an editorial a few days later.

Shahussain Murtazavi, senior adviser in the office of the Afghan president, warned Iranian hardliners against such an “absolutely wrong” approach. He reminded the Iranians not to forget “the killing of their own diplomats by the Taliban”.

The report says Murtazawi was referring to a murderous takeover of the Iranian consulate in the Afghan town of Mazar-e-Sharif as part of a Taliban offensive and the subsequent fall of the town in 1998. .

Eight Iranian diplomats and a journalist were shot dead. Despite the evidence, including that from Human Rights Watch, the Taliban has denied responsibility for the killings.

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