In an editorial on Saturday, the daily Jomhouri-e Eslami said the assassination of General Ikramuddin Saree, a senior police commander during Afghanistan’s former republican government, raised serious concerns.
General Saree, who had opposed the Taliban and sought refuge in Iran after their takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, was shot by unidentified gunmen in Tehran on Wednesday and later died of his wounds. One of his companions was also killed in the attack.
The newspaper argued that the incident shows both that Tehran is no longer immune to militant violence and that Afghan political refugees are not adequately protected.
It noted that Afghan anti-Taliban groups have blamed the Taliban for the killing, adding that a similar assassination of another Afghan dissident occurred in the northeastern city of Mashhad three months earlier.
The editorial criticized the concealment or downplaying of attacks reportedly linked to Taliban operatives in Iran, warning that such an approach could embolden further violence.
It urged Iranian authorities to respond decisively, curb Taliban influence inside the country, and reassess policies related to border control and undocumented migrants to prevent future attacks.