TEHRAN — At a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said that “a silent catastrophe” has occurred in Afghanistan, referring to the recent events in Afghanistan.

Raisi described what has happened in Afghanistan for at least over the last two decades as a clear sign of blatant human rights abuses.

“If only the number of women and children in Afghanistan that have been killed, injured or maimed in Afghanistan over the years is paid into consideration, we will see what a silent catastrophe has been going on in this country.”

The president went on to say that the experience of the U.S. presence in different countries proves that it has never been creating security. On the contrary, Raisi said, it has been detrimental to security, stability, and peace.

“Americans with such a background and practice, instead of being held accountable in the face of public opinion of the world, resort to smear campaign against other countries under various pretexts,” Raisi stated,

Elsewhere in his remarks, the president said his government is seeking serious interactions with neighboring countries.

“The most active diplomacy of the administration should be implemented vis-a-vis neighbors and we should make every effort to increase trade and economic cooperation with neighbors. There are also good grounds for strengthening these relations and increasing Iran's share of regional exchanges,” Raisi underscored.