TEHRAN - A member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the Iranian Parliament says that the nuclear case should be pursued independently, but the role of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a diplomatic apparatus will be protected.

Speaking to Mehr about the continuation of the nuclear talks on Sunday, Fadah Hossein Maleki said: "The president has a clear position on the continuation of the nuclear talks and has stated that Iran is not after attritional talks and all sanctions should to be lifted."

The nuclear talks for a possible revival of the 2015 nuclear deal, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), is expected to be resumed new that a new government in Iran has come to power.

The nuclear talks for restoring the JCPOA started in April in Vienna and until June 20 six rounds of talks were held. However, since then no talks have taken place because Iran was in the process of transition. 

Referring to some consultations to transfer the nuclear case to the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), he added: "In the previous administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs dedicated its time to nuclear talks and as a result regional talks and economic diplomacy were practically stopped."

During the Khatami and Ahmadinejad administrations the SNSC was tasked to handle the nuclear issue. During the two administrations diplomats from the Foreign Ministry were also involved in the talks. However, President Hassan Rouhani, who himself was chief nuclear negotiator during the Khatami presidency, tasked the Foreign Ministry to follow the issue.
 
MP Maleki, a former diplomat, stated that Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian has a special view on the region and neighboring countries.

Maleki said there is a kind of consensus among some officials that the “nuclear case should be pursued independently, but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the foreign minister will have a strong and influential presence in the investigation of this case."

Elsewhere in his remarks, Maleki said that Iran is seeking an inclusive government in Afghanistan with the involvement of all ethnic and religious groups. 

"The Islamic Republic seeks peace, stability and tranquility and the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan," stated Maleki, Iran’s former ambassador to Afghanistan.

Maleki also said the head of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is present in Panjshir and is involved in the formation of the Taliban cabinet. He suggested that the Foreign Ministry should negotiate with Pakistan, and that a meeting should be held between Russia, China, Iran and Pakistan to resolve the Afghan problem.

"We should not allow Pakistan to intervene and maintain U.S. position in Afghanistan," the member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee remarked: 

On the meeting of the parliamentary Committee with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maleki said: "The Minister of Foreign Affairs believes that an inclusive government should be formed in Afghanistan so that all ethnic groups play a role in the government." 

A purely Taliban-oriented government is currently being formed in Afghanistan, and the continuation of this process will push Afghanistan to a comprehensive war, the MP predicted.

The UN has condemned the Taliban for their "increasingly violent response" to dissent, weeks after the group's rapid takeover of Afghanistan.

Taliban fighters killed four people during recent protests, the UN said.

Demonstrations have taken place across Afghanistan since the fall of Kabul on August 15, demanding respect for women's rights and greater freedoms.

Taliban fighters have used batons, whips, and live ammunition against protesters, the UN said in its report.

"We call on the Taliban to immediately cease the use of force towards, and the arbitrary detention of, those exercising their right to peaceful assembly and the journalists covering the protests," a spokeswoman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a press statement.