Clashes between Taliban and Iranian forces in border areas

The Tasnim news agency, close to the Revolutionary Guards, confirmed the clash in the Shagalak area near Nimroz province, but described it as the result of a "border misunderstanding" between Iranian border guards and the Taliban.

Tasnim wrote that the conflict has now ended and Iran is “justifying the Taliban regarding the border line.”

The news agency explains how this incident occurred: "The story is that in recent years, walls have been built inside Iran and a few hundred meters from the border with Afghanistan to combat smugglers and criminals; today, some Iranian farmers have crossed these walls but have been inside Iran's borders, but due to the existence of these walls, Taliban forces believe that their border has been violated."

Tasnim, citing an informed official, called the news about the capture of Iranian border posts “fundamentally false” and wrote that the published images were from the initial moments of the conflict and that “currently, border forces have complete control over the country’s borders.”

Fars News Agency also reported the end of the conflict between "armed individuals" and Iranian forces on the Iran-Afghanistan border.

Fars wrote: "This afternoon, a number of armed individuals in Nimroz Province, Afghanistan, near the border of Shagalak village, Helmand County, opened fire on Iranian farmers."

According to the report, Iranian border guards immediately responded to the attack, and the confrontation with "semi-heavy weapons" continued for several minutes.

Fars writes that the attack resulted in no casualties and has ended, with the region now “reigning in peace.” Furthermore, the border clash “occurred in an area where official Taliban border guards have not yet been deployed and where gangs of criminals and drug traffickers are still active.”

This is the first serious border conflict between Iran and the Taliban since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan.

Iranian Foreign Ministry's response

According to ISNA, Saeed Khatibzadeh, spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on Wednesday evening regarding the news published about the “conflict in the border area of ​​Sistan with the Nimroz province of Afghanistan,” “This afternoon, a misunderstanding between border residents led to shooting in the Sistan border area, which was managed and ended with the coordination of border guards on both sides.”

After this group took control of Afghanistan, some in Iran repeatedly warned against "excessive optimism" about this group and called on Islamic Republic officials to be vigilant against them.

In November, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, the special representative of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, traveled to Kabul to talk with Taliban officials.

The Iranian embassy in Afghanistan tweeted that the purpose of the trip was to discuss with high-ranking Taliban officials "regional issues, refugees, humanitarian aid, the formation of an inclusive government, and especially economic issues."