Iran summoned the Afghan envoy to Tehran on Tuesday and is stopping all consular services in Afghanistan, Iranian state TV reported, a day after protesters threw rocks at Iranian diplomatic missions in Kabul and Herat.
The protests came after videos posted on Twitter in recent days showed young Afghan refugees in Iran being harassed and humiliated by ordinary Iranians. Reuters could not verify authenticity of videos.
Iranian officials on Monday denied there was mistreatment of Afghan refugees in Iran, state television reported.
"The Afghan charge d’affaires in Tehran was summoned in protest to attacks on the Iranian embassy in Kabul and the Iranian Consulate in Herat in Afghanistan on Monday," state TV reported.
Footage on social media, which could not be verified by Reuters, showed a small group of Afghan protesters throwing rocks at Iran's diplomatic missions in Kabul and in the western Afghan city of Herat on Monday.
Iran's foreign ministry said the Taliban, which rules Afghanistan, are responsible for the security and safety of Tehran's diplomats and announced stopping its consular services in the neighboring country "until further notice", Iranian state media reported.
Iran's semiofficial Fars news agency said Monday protesters were brought to the consulate in Herat from nearby rural areas and they threw stones at gates and windows of the building. It said Taliban forces dispersed the protesters by shooting into the air and blamed the rally on pro-Western groups in Afghanistan.
In the Afghan capital of Kabul, about 20 demonstrators gathered outside the Iranian Embassy shouting "death to Iran” to protest the videos, which have gone viral.
There have been longstanding tensions along the two countries' 900-km (560 miles) joint border, which has active smuggling routes.
Over five million Afghans, both documented and undocumented, live in Iran, Iran's state news agency IRNA quoted Iranian Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian as saying last week.