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Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi said the defeat of the U.S. in the neighboring country of Afghanistan could be transformed into an opportunity to “revive life, security, and lasting peace” in the country.
In a phone call Monday with outgoing foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, the incoming president said that Iran encourages all groups in Afghanistan to work towards national unity as a “neighboring and brotherly” country.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran believes that the reign of the will of the wronged people of Afghanistan has always created security and stability,” he said. “While consciously monitoring developments in the country, Iran is committed to neighborly relations.”
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The foreign minister presented Iran’s first major reaction Sunday when he welcomed the formation of a coordination council after Kabul was taken by the Taliban.
Zarif said in a tweet, “we hope that it can lead to dialogue and a peaceful transition in Afghanistan," adding that violence, war, and occupation won't solve the country's problems.
Earlier this month, then-President Ashraf Ghani, who fled Afghanistan on Sunday, became the most senior officials to participate in Raisi’s inauguration ceremony in Tehran.
On Monday, Zarif met in Tehran with Yue Xiaoyong, China’s special envoy to Afghanistan.
#Iran’s new President Ebrahim #Raisi has said that the “defeat” of the #US in #Afghanistan must usher in a durable peace in the neighboring war-wracked country.https://t.co/FFlhoVVwdW
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) August 16, 2021
Zarif further emphasized in a statement the necessity of preventing more violence and war, referring to the displacement of Afghan citizens who have taken refuge in neighboring countries as one of the most urgent aspects of developments in Afghanistan.
On the same day, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said China is willing to deepen “friendly and cooperative” relations with the Taliban’s Afghanistan.
Iran similarly said on Sunday that the Persian nation has accommodations ready in three provinces on the border with Afghanistan to provide temporary refuge to Afghans fleeing the country's conflict.
The Iranian foreign ministry announced Sunday that it reduced its diplomatic presence in Afghanistan, leaving just a few staff members at its embassy in Kabul.
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