Iran will never recognize any entity that grabs power in Afghanistan with war: Security chief

The secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) says the Islamic Republic will never recognize any entity that would grab power in neighboring Afghanistan through war and armed conflict.

Ali Shamkhani said in a Wednesday meeting with the visiting Taliban’s top political leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Tehran that the United States is not seeking peace and security in Afghanistan, and that Washington’s policy is to prolong militancy and bloodshed among various Afghan factions.

Heading a high-ranking delegtion, Baradar arrived in Tehran on Tuesday morning at the invitation of Tehran for talks aimed at speeding up the peace process in neighboring Afghanistan.

During the meeting, Iran’s security chief said “the United States is pursuing sham peace negotiations in order to bring intra-Afghan talks to a deadlock, and blame the parties involved for insecurity and instability.

Shamkhani said Iran never recognizes any entity that would seize power in Afghanistan through war, stressing the need for the participation of all ethnic Afghan groups in determining the fate of the country in a completely peaceful manner.