Following an incident between the Islamic Emirate’s forces and Iranian border forces in Islam Qala on Saturday, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) announced on Sunday that the tensions have been removed and that the border crossing is open now.

On Saturday, a dispute occurred between Afghan and Iranian border forces after Islamic Emirate forces wanted to pave a road alongside the border. The move led to the closure of border crossing temporarily.

Following the incident, Afghan border forces seized an Iranian military vehicle that had entered the Afghan territory, according to officials.

“The ministry of defense’s policy is clear; we are not careless about our borders and will not be so going forward. The tensions happened yesterday were caused by a misunderstanding and are removed now,” said Enayatullah Khawarazmi, a Defense Ministry spokesman.

Sources have said that the construction of the road has been halted temporarily and envoys from both sides are expected to talk over the issue.

Dozens of passengers and vehicles were stuck on both side of the border after the Afghan and Iranian forces were reported to be on alert on Saturday.

“We went near the border and were told it is closed. Today, we decide to go again. We heard that it is still closed,” said Ghulam Mahboob Noorzai, a resident of Herat.

Analysts said that border tensions need to be addressed through diplomatic channels and that border clashes have never benefited Afghanistan.

“Clashes are not the solution. These issues should be discussed between governments,” said Mohammad Naeem Ghayur, an analyst.

Afghan and Iranian border forces have faced each other several times in Nimroz and Herat provinces since the Islamic Emirate took power in Afghanistan last year.