TEHRAN: Iran’s Foreign Ministry summoned the Afghan chargé d’affaires in Tehran after a Taliban official failed to stand for Iran’s national anthem during a conference, days after a similar incident in Pakistan.
Pakistan condemned the disrespect of the national anthem by an Afghan diplomat who decided to remain seated when the anthem was played at a conference in Peshawar on Tuesday. The incident sparked an uproar on social and mainstream media.
A similar incident occurred in Iran when Azizurrahman Mansour, the Taliban’s Deputy Minister of Hajj and Religious Affairs, remained seated during the playing of Iran’s national anthem at the Islamic Unity Conference in Tehran on Thursday.
An Iranian foreign ministry statement said a “strong protest” had been lodged after the Afghan official’s “unconventional and unacceptable action”.
In response, Fazal Mohammad Haqqani, the Taliban’s representative in Tehran, emphasized his country’s respect for Iran, calling Mansour’s behavior a “personal action” that did not reflect the official stance of the Taliban.
He reiterated that the incident was not in line with the Taliban’s views.
Mansour later apologized in a video message, claiming that his decision to remain seated was based on Afghan traditions rather than intended disrespect. However, his explanation did little to quell criticism from Iranian officials.
Hassan Kazemi Qomi, Iran’s special envoy and ambassador to Afghanistan, denounced the act as “meaningless” and criticized the justification.
“Failing to respect diplomatic norms under the pretext of Sharia law’s prohibition of music makes no sense,” Qomi tweeted, arguing that if music is forbidden, so too should be listening to it.
The incident has added tension to the already delicate relationship between the two neighboring countries, which have had a series of diplomatic challenges since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in 2021.