that Iranian journalist The detainee in Afghanistan was reportedly released and transferred to the Iranian embassy in Kabul. A Tasnim news agency journalist was arrested last week when he was trying to leave Afghanistan.
He was in the country for two weeks and was there legally. The arrest threatened to lead to a crisis between Iran and the Taliban.
The Tasnim news agency, where the journalist was working, said on Saturday that “Last night, the Taliban handed over the Tasnim news agency photographer, Muhammad Hossein Velayati, to the Iranian embassy in Kabul.” He was held for a week.
Why did the Taliban arrest an Iranian journalist?
It was not clear why the Taliban detained the journalist, although the Taliban have cracked down on the media since taking control of the country two years ago. They have also been increasingly brutal in their lives treatment of protesterswomen and minorities.
The Iranian regime tends to have difficult relations with the Taliban because the Taliban have historically oppressed the Shiites in Afghanistan. However, Iran also opposed the American presence in Afghanistan and quietly supported the Taliban against the United States.
since You left the United States in 2021The Iranian regime and the Taliban regime were at odds over water policy and other issues. The Tasnim News Agency is considered pro-regime and close to the IRGC, so the detention of a journalist in Tasnim is also a potential attack on Iran itself.
Reports say that the journalist for Tasnim Agency, who is a photographer, has not yet been able to leave Afghanistan. He appears to be in the Iranian embassy in Kabul.