Iran Urges Afghans to Grasp Opportunity As Foreigners Withdraw

Speaking at a weekly press conference on Monday, Saeed Khatibzadeh said Iran is monitoring the latest developments in Afghanistan and is in contact with various Afghan groups.

He also called on all parties in Afghanistan to help maintain stability, adding, “We hope that the (Afghan) groups would seize in the best way the opportunity provided by the withdrawal of the extra-regional forces to form an inclusive government with good relations with the neighbors.”

The Iranian spokesperson noted that the history of Afghanistan shows that there is no military solution to the problems in the country, reiterating that Iran is prepared to facilitate the peace negotiations in the neighboring state.

Highlighting the Islamic Republic’s support for Afghanistan over the past four decades and its push for protecting Afghan lives, Khatibzadeh said Tehran hopes that a coordination council would be formed in Afghanistan to ensure peace in the country.

Asked about the US measures in Afghanistan, the Iranian spokesman said the US invaded Afghanistan as an aggressor, brought about disaster, and ultimately pulled out scandalously. “This is a historical lesson for everybody that wherever the US has gone, it has brought about destruction instead of peace and security.”

He went on to say that the new conditions in Afghanistan have created a new wave of refugees, stressing the need for continued humanitarian assistance to relieve the pains of Afghan people.

The Taliban have taken over Afghanistan following the United States’ abrupt military withdrawal that put an end to a futile two-decade war.

The ill-prepared US pullout plunged Afghanistan into chaos, with thousands of people still at Kabul’s international airport racing to flee the country.