Customs Points on Iranian-Afghan Border Reopen After Clashes in Afghanistan

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Customs points on the Iranian-Afghan border continue their work after three were temporarily closed due to skirmishes in Afghanistan near the border, Rouhollah Latifi, the spokesman for the Iranian customs administration (IRICA), said on Monday.

"As the conflicts were inside Afghanistan, Iranian organizations based at these borders continued to operate under international conventions and laws," Latifi said as quoted by the Mehr News Agency.

Despite the situation in Afghanistan, the trade volume increased in several areas, including in South Khorasan province, the official specified.

However, merchants’ concerns over recent clashes in Herat province bordering Iran resulted in a decline in trade by 50% at the Dogharoon checkpoint in the Khorasan Razavi province, the IRICA spokesman added.

In early July, the Taliban* reportedly captured the main border crossing on the Iranian-Afghan border near the Afghan town of Islam Qala, causing a shutdown in trade between the countries.

Violence in Afghanistan has been on the rise as foreign troops withdraw from the country. The Taliban have captured large rural territories and launched an offensive upon cities. According to the UN assistance mission in the country, the number of Afghans killed or injured in the first half of the year has hit a record 5,183, with a particularly sharp rise recorded in May.

*Taliban, a terrorist group banned in Russia