1998 killing of Iranian diplomats in Afghanistan

Part of the Afghan Civil War (1996–2001) December 2022 1998 killing of Iranian diplomats in Afghanistan Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan Iranian diplomats 8 August 1998 the Battles of Mazar-i-Sharif Afghanistan 36.69 67.12 Mazar-i-Sharif none center 36 42 N 67 07 E region:AF inline,title UTC+04:30 11 (incl. one journalist) Flag of the Taliban.svg Taliban Flag of Sipah-e-Sahaba.jpg Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (alleged) Iran's support for the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance during the Afghan Civil War On 8 August 1998, amidst the Battles of Mazar-i-Sharif, the Iranian consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif was attacked as the Taliban were besieging the city. Initially, only the deaths of eight Iranian diplomats was reported, but two other diplomats and a journalist were later confirmed dead as well, bringing the total number of Iranians killed at the consulate to 11.Film on 1998 Iranian diplomats' murder in Mazar-i-Sharif premieres in Tehran Tehran Times 25 August 2015 http://www.tehrantimes.com/news/248916/Film-on-1998-Iranian-diplomats-murder-in-Mazar-i-Sharif-premieres 7 August 2017 During this time, Iran was supporting the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance, and the killings heightened direct military tensions along the Afghanistan–Iran border, which was controlled on the Afghan side by the Taliban's Islamic Emirate at the time. Background Battles of Mazar-i-Sharif (1997–98) Before this incident, Iran was supportive of the Afghan Northern Alliance, and the city of Mazar-i-Sharif was one of the headquarters of the alliance. It is reported that between May and July 1997 Abdul Malik Pahlawan executed thousands of Taliban prisoners as revenge for the 1995 death of Abdul Ali Mazari. "He is widely believed to have been responsible for the brutal massacre of up to 3,000 Taliban prisoners after inviting them into Mazar-i-Sharif."http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1615824.stm#pahlawan Afghan powerbrokers: Who's who BBC News 19 November 2001 2011-04-01 As revenge, Taliban forces captured Mazar-i-Sharif and killed hundreds of Northern Alliance members, particularly members of the Hazara and Uzbek ethnic groups as they were accused of being the ones who carried out the killings of Taliban prisoners.August 2020 Incident On 8 August 1998, Taliban forces captured Mazar-i-Sharif. After this incident, 11 Iranian diplomats and Mahmoud Saremi, a correspondent from Iran's state news agency (IRNA), were attacked at the Iranian consulate and subsequently disappeared. Unofficial reports from the city indicated that all these men were killed. Later it was confirmed that eight of the Iranian diplomats (Nasser Rigi, Noorollah Norouzi, Karim Heydarian, Rashid Paryav Fallah, Heydar-Ali Bagheri, Mohammad-Ali Ghiyasi, Majid Nouri Niyarki, and Mohammad-Nasser Naseri) and Saremi were killed.Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran on the crime of the attack on Iran's consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif https://en.mfa.ir/portal/newsview/773002/Statement-by-the-Ministry-of-Foreign-Affairs-of-the-Islamic-Republic-of-Iran-on-the-crime-of-the-attack-on-Iran%E2%80%99s-consulate-in-Mazar-i-Sharif Ministry of Foreign Affairs Islamic Republic of Iran October 18, 2025 August 8, 2025 Perpetrators The Taliban spokesmen said the Iranians had been killed by renegade forces who had acted without orders.https://www.nytimes.com/1998/09/11/world/iran-holds-taliban-responsible-for-9-diplomats-deaths.html Iran Holds Taliban Responsible for 9 Diplomats' Deaths The New York Times 1998-09-11 2008-11-04 Douglas Jehl The final death toll was confirmed later to be 11 according to Tehran Times. The executions of the diplomats are speculated to have been carried out by Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan.Riedel Bruce The Search for Al Qaeda: Its Leadership, Ideology, and Future 2010 Brookings Institution 978-0-8157-0451-5 66–67 2nd RevisedGutman Roy How We Missed the Story: Osama Bin Laden, the Taliban, and the Hijacking of Afghanistan 2008 Institute of Peace Press 978-1-60127-024-5 142 registration https://archive.org/details/howwemissedstory00gutm/page/142 However, as of August 2025, Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs had not identified the "perpetrators and masterminds" of the deaths, stating "The matter remains under serious and active pursuit." Aftermath Shortly after their deaths, Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, visited the families of the fallen.Azizi Arash The Shadow Commander: Soleimani, The U.S., and Iran's Global Ambitions 2020 Oneworld Publications London, U.K. 978-1-78607-944-2 143 The incident caused a public furor in Iran and many observers were concerned that Iran would be involved in a military response to the attack. At the time, over 70,000 Iranian troops were deployed along the Afghan border.https://www.nytimes.com/1998/09/12/world/for-death-of-its-diplomats-iran-vows-blood-for-blood.html?pagewanted=all For Death of Its Diplomats, Iran Vows Blood for Blood The New York Times 1998-09-12 2008-11-04 Douglas JehlS/1998/1109 The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security 53 II_A_2 2 2008-11-04 23 November 1998 Mediation by the United Nations defused the situation and all the hostages were eventually released. Later in February 1999, the Taliban and Iran held talks, but relations between them did not improve.http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/meast/9902/03/afghan.iran.01/index.html Taliban, Iran hold talks CNN 1999-02-03 2008-11-04 Subsequently, Iran decided to support the Northern Alliance, an anti-Taliban front.https://politicstoday.org/iran-taliban-northern-alliance-shiism-hazaras/ Why Iran is Concerned with Taliban 2.0 5 October 2021 August 8 is named National Journalists' Day in Iran, in memory of Mahmoud Saremi, the IRNA correspondent killed in this attack.https://en.mehrnews.com/news/103564/Iran-marks-National-Journalists-Day Iran marks National Journalists' Day Mehr News 2014-08-08 2018-08-06 dmy-all In popular culture thumb|Actors portraying the attackers, from the 2015 Iranian film Mazar Sharif An Iranian film Mazar Sharif was made on this story in 2015. Abdolhassan Barzideh was the director. Mazar Sharif (2015), IMDB See also 2018 attack on the Iranian Embassy in London References Iranian Diplomats Assassination In Afghanistan, 1998 Iranian Diplomats Assassination In Afghanistan, 1998 Category:Afghanistan–Iran relations Category:1998 conflicts Category:Diplomatic incidents Category:Hostage taking in Afghanistan Category:Iranian people murdered abroad Category:Iranian terrorism victims Category:People murdered in Afghanistan Category:Terrorism deaths in Afghanistan Category:Attacks on diplomatic missions of Iran Category:Attacks on diplomatic missions in Afghanistan Category:Afghan Civil War (1996–2001) Category:August 1998 in Afghanistan Category:Massacres committed by the Taliban Category:August 1998 in Iran