TEHRAN - Spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry denied on Tuesday reports in U.S. media on the bounties Iran allegedly paid to the Taliban to kill American and coalition troops in Afghanistan. 

“The U.S., which has no answer for the families of its killed soldiers in Afghanistan, seeks to cover up its miscalculations in Afghanistan through media propaganda,” spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said, calling on the U.S. to act responsibly rather than blaming others. 

He also called on the U.S. to “end its disastrous presence in Afghanistan as soon as possible.”

The statement came after CNN reported that Iran offered bounties to Taliban fighters for targeting American and coalition troops in Afghanistan.

“U.S. intelligence agencies assessed that Iran offered bounties to Taliban fighters for targeting American and coalition troops in Afghanistan, identifying payments linked to at least six attacks carried out by the militant group just last year alone, including a suicide bombing at a U.S. air base in December,” CNN claimed. 

However, Khatibzadeh called the claim “thoroughly untrue,” adding that the U.S. has been mired in a “self-induced quagmire in Afghanistan,” which led to the U.S. soldiers being killed thousands of miles away from their home. 

SKM/PA