Iran’s President Raeisi slams foreign plots behind destability in Afghanistan

“With the reduction of the presence of American forces in Afghanistan, their acts of provocation and sedition will undoubtedly continue in different ways because their interests and existence depend on insecurity,” the Iranian president said during a meeting with Afghan President Asharf Ghani on Thursday, stressing that presence of foreign forces was the root cause of insecurity and tension in the country.

“The Islamic Republic is ready to use its capacities to establish lasting peace and prevent bloodshed in Afghanistan.”

The Iranian president underscored the importance of Tehran’s cooperation with the legitimate government in Kabul in establishing peace and stability in Afghanistan.

“Afghanistan's security must be provided by the Afghans themselves and Iran is ready to assist and cooperate in this regard so that lasting peace and justice will be established and the people of Afghanistan be freed from suffering.”

President Ghani, for his part, congratulated Raeisi on his election and expressed hope for the beginning of a new chapter in Tehran-Kabul relations, saying Afghanistan wishes to expand political and economic ties with Iran in all fields.

Stressing that Tehran enjoys pivotal capacities in creating regional security, the Afghan president said, “Iran has a prominent role in establishing regional stability and [Kabul] intends to use Iran’s capacities for cooperation in that regard.”

Violence has been surging across Afghanistan amid the withdrawal of US-led foreign forces from the country.

The Taliban militants are believed to be in control of about half of Afghanistan’s roughly 400 districts. The militants have focused on rural areas, and no major city has fallen to the Taliban yet.