The Afghanistan consulate in Mashhad, now under Taliban control, announced the resumption of passport and visa issuance services. According to a statement, applicants can apply for passports and visas starting Saturday, August 3.
This development follows Iran’s decision to hand over Afghanistan’s consulate in Mashhad to the Taliban after several months of controversy. Faiz Rahman Attaye, appointed by the Taliban as acting head of the consulate, expressed gratitude to Iran for accepting him as chargé d’affaires.
However, a senior Iranian diplomat, Ahmad Masoumi, clarified that the formal introduction of the new Taliban consular head in Mashhad is not yet complete. “We cannot say that the consulate has been handed over to the Taliban. The mission of the former consular was completed a long time ago. It was expected that the Taliban would introduce a new consular for Iran. The individual whom the Taliban appointed as consular lacked the qualification as required based on the Vienna convention; so the foreign ministry did not accept him,” Masoumi stated.
The handover of the Mashhad consulate coincides with a visit by the Taliban’s deputy chief of political affairs to Iran, where he met with senior Iranian officials.
