TEHRAN – Iran’s Foreign Ministry has said that Iran and Afghanistan are two brotherly countries and no ill-intended foreign provocation can undermine their ties.

“#Iran and #Afghanistan, as two brotherly nations, have strong, deep-rooted relations that is based on common historical and cultural bonds, and no ill-intended foreign provocation can undermine this close relation,” the ministry said in a tweet on Monday.

The Foreign Ministry said in another tweet, “For decades, Iran has hosted millions of Afghan refugees who have fled the war & clashes that were ignited by US meddling &invasion. We’ll continue to support our Afghan brothers &sisters during their hardships, & again we call on US to end its destabilizing presence in our region.”

Mohammad Hanif Atmar, Afghanistan’s acting foreign minister, made a trip to Tehran on Sunday at the head of a high ranking delegation. The visit came a week after Iran’s Foreign Ministry summoned Afghan Ambassador Abdolghafour Lival over actions of certain anti-Iran groups in Afghanistan.

Rasoul Mousavi, an assistant to Iran’s foreign minister and the director-general of the Foreign Ministry Department for West Asia, expressed concerns over repercussions of such groups’ actions on relations between the two countries.

Certain groups have recently attacked the Iranian embassy in Kabul under the pretext that some Afghan migrants were drowned while they were trying to enter Iran.

It followed reports claiming that about 50 Afghan migrants crossing into Iran illegally had been beaten and thrown into a river. Iranian political and border officials have refuted the claim, saying the incident happened on the Afghan side of the border.

Related officials have said it has extensive evidence that the incident did not happen on the Iranian side of the border.

Iran slams U.S. for lecturing about rights of refugees

In another tweet, the Iranian Foreign Ministry slammed the United States for lecturing about rights of refugees while it is building a wall along the border with Mexico to prevent migrants.

The ministry said the Trump administration has been widely condemned for its cruel border policies.

“Look who’s talking about the rights of refugees! A government whose campaign motto was to ‘build a wall’ and has been repeatedly condemned for its cruel border policies (e. g. separating migrant children from their parents), is lecturing the world about #WorldRefugeeDay,” the ministry said in the tweet.

The tweet came as a response to a tweet by U.S. Assistant Secretary Robert A. Destro claiming, “Horrified by accounts of Afghan migrants and refugees being drowned, shot, and burned alive by Iranian border guards and Iranian police. Those responsible must be held accountable. We again call on Iran to respect #HumanRights and cease violence against refugees. #WorldRefugeeDay”

NA/PA