Iranian media claim that Taliban forces opened fire on Iranian farmers believing they had violated the border, prompting Iranian soldiers to intervene.

Tehran, Iran – Clashes erupted between Iranian soldiers and Taliban forces near the Afghanistan-Iran border, but appear to have claimed no casualties and were later described as a “misunderstanding”.

Several videos on Wednesday showed Taliban troops mobilizing. Gunshots can be heard as one shows Iranian forces firing artillery shells in response to Taliban fire.

Iranian semi-official Tasnim news agency confirmed the battle in the village of Shaghalak in Hirmand County.

Tasnim, who has ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said there are fortified areas on Iranian soil near the border with Afghanistan in order to combat smuggling.

Some Iranian farmers broke through the walls but were still inside the Iranian border when Taliban forces opened fire, believing his side had been violated, according to the report.

The fighting was over and Iranian authorities were discussing the situation with the Taliban, he added.

Later Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said in a statement that a “misunderstanding among border residents” had caused the fighting, without naming the Taliban.

‘Full control’

A video allegedly showed Taliban forces inside an Iranian garrison, with reports claiming several outposts had been seized.

Tasnim denied the seizure of any facility, but said “some of the footage released was from the early stages of the fighting, and border forces now have full control over the country’s borders.”

But a report from the semi-official Fars news site, which also has IRGC ties, made no mention of the Taliban, saying the smugglers could be at fault. He said there were no casualties and the area is now calm.

Mohammad Marashi, deputy for security to the governor of Sistan and Balochistan, told Iranian state television that the clashes were not serious, caused no harm to personnel or property and had ended. He named the Taliban forces as instigators.

Iran has not officially recognized the Taliban since the group quickly took control of neighboring Afghanistan after US forces withdrew in August.

Iranian officials have repeatedly said recognition will depend on forming an “inclusive” government in Afghanistan, but called on the United States to lift its sanctions against the Taliban to allay humanitarian concerns.

In mid-November, Hassan Kazemi-Qomi, Iran’s special representative in Afghanistan, led an Iranian delegation on an official visit to the country for talks. He met with several Taliban officials to discuss the country’s economy, the region’s geopolitics, and security concerns.

At the end of October, Iran hosted a meeting of its neighbors and Russia in Tehran, however, Taliban officials were not invited.