The Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) on Tuesday said that Brig. Gen. Ismail Qaani, the newly appointed head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' elite Quds Force, has never served as a diplomat in Afghanistan. This is a response to photographs showing Qaani in Afghanistan from a 2018 visit, which surfaced following the death of another Iranian commander, Qassem Soleimani. The governor of Bamiyan reported of Qaani: "It was said that he was a 'deputy ambassador.'

Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Idrees Zaman denied that Qaani is diplomat: “This is under investigation. Right now I can say that Mr. Qaani never served as deputy ambassador,” said Zaman.

He said that Qaani’s trip to Bamiyan in July 2018 will be investigated.

This comes after pictures on social media showed Qaani’s meeting with the Bamiyan governor Tahir Zaheer.

“It was said that he (Qaani) was deputy ambassador, it was said he will visit the construction process of the hospital and then he (Qaani) will have a short meeting with the governor and it happened as it was said,” said Tahir Zaheer, the governor of Bamiyan province.

Concerns over Iran's potential meddling in Afghanistan coincided with the Tehran Dialogue Forum, a discussion held with participants from different countries, including former Afghan president Hamid Karzai, who called on the US to de-escalate tensions with Iran.

Speaking at the forum, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that the US is seeking to pursue its political objectives within the politically dynamic environment in the region.

“By exploiting the situation and by making fake threats they want to continue their illegal and illegitimate presence in the region,” said Zarif.

Tensions between Iran and the US have ratcheted up following the assassination of Gen.Qassem Soleimani, the former head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' elite Quds Force.

The Afghan government, however, has said that it will not allow Afghanistan’s territory to be used against any other nation.