TEHRAN - Head of Afghanistan’s High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah has called on Iran to send humanitarian aid to Afghanistan amid Taliban-led deliberations to form a new government.

In a phone call on Sunday, Abdullah thanked Iran for defending the Afghan people, according to a statement by the Iranian foreign ministry.

The request by the top Afghan figure was submitted during a phone conversation with Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian.

Abdullah also congratulated Abdollahian on his appointment as the Islamic Republic’s foreign minister.

During the conversation, Abdullah also spoke of the dire situation in Afghanistan and called on Iran to send humanitarian aid to his country, the statement added. 

The two sides agreed on the need to fight the heinous phenomenon of terrorism. They also discussed the formation of an inclusive government with the participation of all Afghan ethnic groups and factions. They also reaffirmed their position that it’s only up to the Afghan people to determine their country’s future.

On Sunday, Afghanistan’s neighbors held talks over the situation in the country during a teleconference. Mohammad Ebrahim Taherian, an advisor to Iran’s foreign minister and the country’s special envoy for Afghanistan told his counterparts from other neighbors of the war-torn country that peace can only be achieved there through the formation of an inclusive government with the participation of all Afghan groups.

Taherian underlined the need to end the ordeal of the Afghan people.

Taherian also referred to the three-way phone conversation between the foreign ministers of Iran, Russia and China over the upcoming virtual meeting involving the chief diplomats of Afghanistan’s neighbors, proposed to be held on Wednesday, September 8th. He expressed hope that the foreign ministers send a clear and strong message, reaffirming their support for the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan.

Earlier this week, Abdollahian and his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi discussed the latest developments in Afghanistan over the phone.

Pursuant to previous negotiations between Abdollahian and the Russian and Chinese foreign ministers, the top Iranian and Pakistani diplomats agreed that the teleconference of Afghanistan’s neighbors be held at the level of special envoys and foreign ministers within a few days.

This call came amid ongoing clashes between the Taliban and resistance groups in the Panjshir Valley. Abdollahian also discussed the Afghanistan issue in a phone conversation with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. The foreign ministers of Iran and China stressed the necessity of forming an inclusive government in Afghanistan with the participation of all tribes and groups.

They also emphasized that the fight against terrorism and illegal drug trade is an important priority. Wang and Abdollahian said the flow of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan must not be hindered and the country’s border crossings must remain open.

The two sides stressed that the United States is responsible for the current situation in Afghanistan, and that America played an unconstructive role regarding Afghan people over the past two decades.

Iran has called on the Afghans to avoid violence and resolve their disputes through dialogue. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh has called on the Afghans to avoid violence and resolve their differences through dialogue amid ongoing clashes in the Panjshir Valley between the Taliban and resistance groups led by Ahamd Massoud, the son of Ahmad Shah Massoud who was assassinated in a terrorist attack on September 9, 2001.

Referring to the sporadic clashes in Panjshir, the Foreign Ministry spokesman called on all parties to show restraint and adhere to the principle of dialogue to resolve disputes, and called on Afghan groups to refrain from resorting to violence and fratricide, according to Iran’s state news agency IRNA. 

In an interview with IRNA on Friday about the current developments in Afghanistan and the sporadic clashes in Panjshir, Khatibzadeh called on all parties to show restraint and adhere to the principle of dialogue to resolve disputes and reach a mutually acceptable solution.

The spokesman underlined, “The Islamic Republic of Iran is in constant contact with all parties and has made every effort to reduce the suffering of the Afghan people to a minimum. We believe that lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan can only be achieved through genuine intra-Afghan dialogue without the presence and intervention of foreign countries.”

Khatibzadeh said, “Afghanistan today is tired of years of occupation and war and violence, and therefore all groups must avoid the re-use of violence and fratricide.”

Condemning any foreign interference, he noted, “The people of Afghanistan deserve a popular and inclusive government that reflects the demographic and ethnic composition of this country.”

On Saturday night, Iranian President Ayatollah Seyed Ebrahim Raisi addressed the situation in Afghanistan during his first live interview.

“The solution to the issue in Afghanistan is the establishment of a government based on people’s vote,” he said. 

Ayatollah Raisi continued, “The issue of Afghanistan has shown that the presence of the Americans not only does not create security anywhere, but also undermines security,” according to a readout of the president’s remarks issued by the Iranian presidency.

He added, “Afghanistan has really suffered a great deal. With the oppression of Afghanistan by the Americans and foreign countries, this country has been oppressed for years and Afghan children are injured and disabled every day.”

Ayatollah Raisi noted, “Today, the international community is announcing that more than 30,000 Afghan children have been injured in the past two decades, many homes have been destroyed and the people of Afghanistan have been severely affected. Today, in Iran alone, we host more than 3 million Afghans who have been displaced from their homeland.”

He continued, “The issue of Afghanistan has shown that the presence of the Americans not only does not create security anywhere, but also undermines security. The United States has committed human rights abuses in Afghanistan and actions that definitely need to be analyzed and pursued.”

He said, “The solution to the issue in Afghanistan is the establishment of a government based on people’s vote. The Islamic Republic has always favored the establishment of peace in Afghanistan to stop the bloodshed and fratricide in Afghanistan.”

The president added, “We support a government that is based on the will of the people of Afghanistan, and this is a requirement of the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic. The government that emerged from the popular vote in Afghanistan can certainly have very good relations with the Islamic Republic.”

On Monday, Khatibzadeh said that the blockade of the Panjshir Valley in the north of Kabul by the Taliban contravenes international law and international humanitarian law. He added that there is only a political solution to the issues surrounding the Panjshir Valley.

Speaking at a weekly press briefing, the spokesman stated, “There is an only political solution to Panjshir and the siege of Panjshir is by no means acceptable in terms of international law and international humanitarian law.”