Abbas Araghchi held a meeting with foreign ministers of the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation on Afghanistan and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on 25 September 2025 on the sidelines of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
At the start of his address to the quadrilateral meeting, the Iranian minister said that the Islamic Republic of Iran firmly insists on the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries and supports the inherent right of the Afghan people to decide on their political, economic, and social future, in accordance with the United Nations Charter and international accepted norms and laws.
The Iranian minister highlighted that in recent years, despite the efforts of the interim government to improve the situation, Afghanistan still faces severe challenges in terms of security, humanitarian conditions, and economic stability. These are not merely domestic issues; they have direct and serious implications for the entire region. As close neighbors and regional partners, the regional countries are directly affected by these developments.
He added that the regional countries have a shared responsibility to engage constructively in efforts to tackle the challenges from Afghanistan.
He criticized the sanctions on the country, stressing that "Sanctions should not be used as a weapon to obstruct Afghanistan's economic recovery or legitimate engagement with the authorities of the interim government. We reiterate that Afghanistan's assets frozen abroad must be released unconditionally to restore Afghanistan's economic stability and serve the Afghan people."
He also pointed to the Afghanistan-based terrorist groups, saying that "Despite some progress in combating ISIL, the continued presence of other extremist and terrorist groups in Afghanistan remains a serious concern for neighbors and the entire region."
"We expect the authorities of the interim government to take transparent, verifiable and decisive measures against all these threats. The fight against terrorism must be comprehensive, non-discriminatory and in accordance with international law," Araghchi underscored.
Iran has been home to millions of Afghan refugees, Araghchi noted, adding that sheltering the Afghan refugees has cost Iran's economy and security billions of dollars, while Iran itself continues to face the most severe unilateral sanctions, which come in violation of international law.
The top Iranian diplomat went on to say that the US intervention and its two-decade military presence in Afghanistan yielded no results but misery and insecurity. This presence has left countless Afghans dead and fueled terrorism, drugs, corruption, poverty, and displacement. The 2021 withdrawal was not an end to responsibility, but a humiliating withdrawal that left Afghanistan and its neighbors alone to bear its consequences. The reality is that the US and NATO are responsible for many of the challenges that Afghanistan and the region face today.
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