Iran backs Islamic government in Afghanistan representing all factions : Zarif

During a meeting with visiting Taliban’s top political leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and his entourage in Tehran on Sunday morning, Zarif said, “We support an inclusive Islamic government, which incorporates all ethnicities and religions, and consider it a necessity for Afghanistan.”

“The people of Afghanistan are your people and should not be targeted in any operations,” he said.

The Iranian foreign minister then pointed to US actions in the Central Asian country, stating that Washington is not a good mediator and peace broker. 

The two sides also exchanged viewpoints on current issues in the region, the situation in Afghanistan and how to advance the peace process in the country.

On Wednesday, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani told Baradar that the Islamic Republic will never recognize any entity that grabs power in Afghanistan through war and armed conflict.

He also stressed the need for the participation of all ethnic Afghan groups in the future of their country in a completely peaceful manner.

He said Iran attaches paramount importance to the security of Afghanistan, especially in the provinces bordering Iran, calling for Taliban’s cooperation with the Afghan government in the face of stepped-up Daesh operations in the country. 

Mullah Baradar, for his part, briefed Shamkhani on the peace process in war-torn Afghanistan and pointed to the broken promises of the administration of former US president Donald Trump.

Heading a high-ranking delegtion, Baradar and his aides arrived in Tehran Tuesday to discuss speeding up the peace process in Afghanistan.