Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s deputy chief minister for economic affairs, traveled to Iran on Thursday to attend the funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Taliban foreign ministry said.
The ministry said Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is accompanying Baradar as part of a high-level delegation.
The funeral and burial ceremonies for Khamenei are scheduled to begin on Saturday in Iran.
The ministry did not provide further details about the delegation’s itinerary or say whether Baradar and Muttaqi would hold meetings with Iranian officials during the visit.
Khamenei was killed nearly four months ago in large-scale US and Israeli airstrikes on his office.
The visit underscores the Taliban’s continued efforts to deepen relations with Tehran. Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban have expanded political and economic engagement with Iran through frequent high-level exchanges and cooperation on trade, transit, migration and border security.
Although Iran has not formally recognized the Taliban rule, it has maintained diplomatic relations with the Taliban offciails in Kabul and has become one of Afghanistan’s key regional partners. Baradar and Muttaqi have both visited Iran several times in recent years for talks on trade, regional connectivity and economic cooperation.
