TEHRAN - Nozar Shafiei, a senior analyst on international issues, says the arrival of Taliban negotiators in Iran is coordinated by the Afghan government, ILNA reported on Saturday.

Explaining about the reasons of the Taliban visit to Iran, Shafiei said, “In the current situation, the peace talks between the Taliban and the U.S. is facing challenges because a new administration has taken power in the U.S.”

“Biden’s security and foreign policy team believe that what was negotiated during the Trump era should be reevaluated because the Trump administration has given a lot of concessions and the peace agreement should be revised,” he remarked. 

Pointing to the Biden administration’s policy towards Afghanistan, he said the U.S. and Taliban officials are consulting with countries which have an influence in Afghanistan.

He underlined the geopolitical significance of relations between Iran and Afghanistan and said, “The presence of the Taliban in Iran does not harm the relations between Iran and Afghanistan, because these meetings have definitely happened with the coordination of the Kabul government. The Afghan government knows that Iran is negotiating with the Taliban, and these negotiations are aimed at bringing peace to Afghanistan.” 

“Iran is one of the countries seeking to promote peace in Afghanistan, and it can contribute to Iran's development and security,” he asserted.  

Pointing to security interdependence between Iran and Afghanistan, the expert said, “Iran's effort is to develop Afghanistan. Iran develops when the region is a developed; as long as there is conflict, countries cannot advance.”

“The U.S. policy is to handle the crisis, however, it has led to another crisis, and the Americans are currently reluctant to resolve the crisis in the country because a failed Afghan government can justify the presence of the U.S. presence in this country and the region," he pointed out. 

EE/PA