TEHRAN - Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), said on Wednesday that terrorism, extremism and presence of foreign powers are the main threats to the region.

“In our region, terrorism and extremism are plights which still exist and affect our peace and security. We have no choice but to know roots of these threats and counter them through cooperation,” he said during an opening speech at the Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan in Tehran.

Top security officials from Russia, China, India, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are participating at the conference.

Shamkhani added, “In addition to terrorism, we witness harmful presence of certain extra-regional countries who are part of the causes behind terrorism and extremism.”

Elsewhere, he warned that now that Daesh is being defeated in Iraq and Syria, its members are being transferred to Afghanistan.

“Our main duty is overcoming such serious security challenges,” the top security official asserted.