Iranian trucks loaded with Iraqi fuel stuck in Afghanistan for weeks awaiting Taliban clearance

Shafaq News/ Over 400 Iranian trucks carrying Iraqi fuel have been stuck in Afghanistan for more than three weeks, awaiting clearance from the Taliban government, according to Iranian customs official Reza Abedini.

Abedini said the trucks, loaded in Iraq, have been stalled with the Afghan authorities yet to grant them clearance.

He added that Iran's Mahiroud customs exports remain unaffected.

Last week, Taliban declared a senior Iranian diplomat "persona non grata", giving him only a few hours to leave Afghanistan.

Afghan media quoted Taliban sources that Ali Mojani, an advisor to Iran's special representative for Afghan affairs, has "overstepped his boundaries" and must leave Afghanistan immediately.

Mojani had recently stated that Taliban members did not allow him to perform Eid al-Adha prayers led by Mullah Hibatullah, the Taliban leader, at Eidgah mosque in Kandahar.

Tensions persist between Iran and the Taliban, particularly regarding water issues.

Amir Khan Muttaqi visited Iran and advocated for increased economic collaboration. Muttaqi met with economic activists from Iran and Afghanistan, urging Iranian traders to capitalize on opportunities in the Afghan market.

Nevertheless, critics within Iran have raised concerns about the government's open borders policy, speculating about potential hidden agendas. Some suggest that authorities might be facilitating illegal Afghan immigration to address population decline or to strengthen the military by recruiting young Shiite Hazara Afghans.

Iran's former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who is expected to play a major role in the administration of president-elect Masoud Pezeshkian, recently said the Taliban's legitimacy remains in question in spite of their ruling neighboring Afghanistan.