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Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
World
London - Tehran - Asharq Al-Awsat

Taliban, Tehran to Launch Talks to Contain Border Tensions

Iran's flag is pictured at the Milak border crossing between Iran and Afghanistan, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran September 8, 2021. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS

ran and the Taliban agreed on Tuesday to hold talks soon to contain border tensions, while the Iranian National Security Council denied reports of sending tanks and armored vehicles to borders.

A state of alert was raised by the Taliban and Iran against the backdrop of skirmishes that took place at the end of last week.

Iranian media released video footage of trucks loaded with tanks and military vehicles heading for armored brigades in the 88th Corps, which is stationed in the city of Zahedan, the center of Balochistan province.

The Iranian “Khabar Online” website verified the footage of Iranian authorities ramping up deployment near borders with Afghanistan.

Later, Nour News, the platform of the National Security Council, stated that “the eastern borders are completely safe.”

The platform described circulated footage of troops sent to the Afghan border as “old and irrelevant,” noting that the situation is “completely normal.”

Nour News pointed out that the deployment of border guard units is “in accordance with their routine tasks in maintaining border security.” It noted that mediation is underway with the Afghan border guards to clear up misunderstandings.

The website accused those circulating the footage on social networks of attempting to suggest the existence of a crisis.

Iranian Deputy Ambassador to Kabul Hassan Mortazavi had held talks with Shabir Ahmad, head of the Ministry of Defense working group and head of the Taliban working group tasked with organizing shared border affairs with Iran.

It was also decided that the four-member Afghan delegation would meet with Iranian officials in one of the capitals or at the shared border after Eid al-Fitr to resolve border issues.

Regarding the presence of some Taliban forces on the shared border with Iran, Shabir Ahmad said that Taliban government officials, especially the Minister of Defense, had ordered that no one was allowed to stir any conflict on the Iranian border and that military deployment on the shared border was prohibited.

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