TEHRAN - Iran’s ambassador to the European Union on Thursday urges Afghanistan’s invaders to bear responsibility for the damage that they have afflicted on the Central Asian nation and the refugee influx that their actions have brought about.

Qolam-Hossein Dehqani made the remarks on Thursday while addressing a virtual meeting of the International Center for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD).

The U.S. invaded Afghanistan in October 2001 to oust the Taliban regime for hosting al-Qaeda leader considered responsible for the September 11 attacks. Later, other NATO members joined U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

Dehqani said after the invasion “destroyed the social fabric and lifestyle” of the Afghan people, the Islamic Republic and a number of other countries neighboring Afghanistan were left to take the biggest share of refugees, according to Press TV.

This is while the invading countries have been “systematically” shirking from the responsibility of their actions concerning Afghanistan “and closing their borders to Afghan refugees,” he stated.

The Taliban was in power from 1996 to 2001. They regained the control of Afghanistan despite 20 years of occupation by the U.S. and NATO partners. 20 years of the so-called nation building ended in shambles. 

Just one week after the deadly terrorist attack on a mosque in Kunduz in northeast Afghanistan which resulted in the killing of more than 50 people and more than 100 injured, again on Friday, October 15, a large explosion tore through a Shiite mosque in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar.  So far, over 68 worshippers have been killed and more than 80 wounded. 

The Iranian ambassador to Brussels went on to say that continuation of such a trend “neither helps resolve Afghanistan’s crisis, nor does it lessen Afghans’ pain in any manner.”

He added, “You cannot keep supporting Afghans in words, and avoiding them in action.”

Iran hosts close to 800,000 “registered” Afghan refugees and upwards of 2.3 million undocumented ones.

The number of the refugees have been on the rise since August, when the Taliban rose back to power in the Central Asian country.

Dehqani, meanwhile, repeated assertions that have been made on numerous occasions by either the Islamic Republic’s officials or diplomats that the United States’ oppressive and unilateral sanctions interfere with the host countries’ ability to properly address the needs of the Afghan refugees.

Iran is hosting millions of Afghan refugees despite the fact that it is under illegal crippling U.S. sanctions.