The Taliban described remarks made by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif as irresponsible and uninformed on Tuesday.
In an interview with TOLO News, Zarif said, “the Taliban has committed many terrorist acts,” and “we have not removed the Taliban [from our list of] terrorist groups in our laws.”
“We follow exactly what is decided by the UN Security Council, Zarif reiterated, “but we do believe that the Taliban is a reality in the future.”
The Taliban claimed in a statement that Zarif's remarks are a clear interference in Afghanistan's internal affairs and that such irresponsible remarks could damage relations between friendly and neighboring countries.
The statement added that the Taliban is not on any UN terrorist list and the Iranian Foreign Minister is not informed in this regard.
Talking in an exclusive interview with TOLO News on Monday, Zarif pointed to the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, saying, "We want a lawful and calculated withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan that should be based on the demands of the Afghan people and it should be a responsible security transition to the Afghan forces. We do not want it in the current form, where the Americans go and negotiate with the Taliban."
“We see Afghanistan as an independent country that has made many achievements in the areas of democracy, human rights, women’s rights, and the rights of minorities over the past 19 years, since the Bonn conference in 2001,” he added.
He said Iran sees the US presence, whether it is in Iraq, Afghanistan, or in any other country in the region, as a force that disrupts the peace and security in the region, but he added that Iran is not making decisions on behalf of the governments of these countries.
FA/FNA 13991002000882
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