Iran had already begun negotiations with representatives of the Taliban before the withdrawal of international troops from Afghanistan, presumably hoping that it would help Tehran to gain influence in Kabul. That makes negotiations with them difficult, and not just for Iran." "The Taliban's leadership structures are multilayered, complicated and opaque. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid on Sunday welcomed Tehran's initiative and expressed hope that its outcome would benefit Afghanistan.īut Fatemeh Aman, an Iran expert at the Washington-based Middle East Institute (MEI), told DW that "Iran has miscalculated." Iran is committed to an inclusive government in which all political groups are represented, he added.
What Iran wants in Afghanistan is peace what it does not want is violence and terrorism, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Said Chatibsadeh said last week. Tehran has called on its conflict-stricken eastern neighbor to form an inclusive and stable government - something Iran considers vital for its own national security. Since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in mid-August, Iran has been debating whether the Islamic fundamentalist group has changed its ways since the last time it was in power over 20 years ago. Taliban threaten female journalists in Afghanistan 'Iran has miscalculated' The Sunnis have long complained about discrimination by Iranian authorities.ĭue to dilapidated infrastructure and a lack of health and educational facilities, the areas near the Afghan border are the poorest and least developed in Iran. Iran's population is majority Shiite but Sunni minorities live predominantly in the areas near the border with Afghanistan. Iran and Afghanistan share a nearly 1,000-kilometer-long (621 miles) border - Tehran has key security interests there. Representatives of the "Islamic Emirate," or the Taliban government, have not been invited "yet," according to the Afghan broadcaster TOLO News. The conference, organized by the Iranian Foreign Ministry, will see the foreign ministers of Iran, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Russia holding talks in the Iranian capital Tehran on Afghanistan's political future and the formation of a new government.
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Iran is hosting a meeting of Afghanistan's neighbors plus Russia on Wednesday to discuss the current situation in the war-ravaged country.