Iranian Diplomacy - An expert of Afghan affairs believes: �Prior to Iran�s talks with the Taliban, the government of�Afghanistan�had embarked on Afghan-to-Afghan talks with the Taliban. However, Kabul�s harsh position against Tehran has been taken from an angle of inactiveness on their part as a reaction to Iran�s initiative.�


Afghanistan�s deputy foreign minister made the remarks while commenting on the latest statements by the Iranian foreign minister on Taliban�s role in the future of Afghanistan, accusing Iran of clear interference in Afghanistan�s internal affairs, saying: �In our establishment, the proposal of merging armed groups is against Afghanistan�s diplomacy.� Moreover, the spokesperson for Afghanistan�s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has claimed earlier that Iran is afraid of a democratic�Afghanistan�which enjoys freedom of speech and civil rights, while the Iranian authorities have stressed that Iran�s negotiations with the Taliban have taken place with the knowledge of Afghanistan�s government in line with preparations for Afghan peace talks.


Professor Nozar Shafiei said: �It�s good to know why Iran is sensitive about the developments in Afghanistan�and sometimes gets drawn into them. The reason is the direct impact of events in�Afghanistan�on Iran�s national security.�


He added: �Afghanistan�s government is a failed state unable to provide security within its own borders; this insecurity and instability will also spread to Iran. Therefore, not only Iran, but also other countries will inevitably interact with Afghanistan�s domestic groups in order to prevent the expansion of such crisis into their own territories.�


Shafiei, a former Iranian MP, added: �However, the participation of Taliban in the power structure of�Afghanistan�will completely depend on the government of Afghanistan. While the Taliban phenomenon is a reality in Afghanistan, excluding this group from the political scene of�Afghanistan�is not a promising perspective. Consequently, it is likely that they will eventually be part of the internal politics of Afghanistan. However, if this does not happen, we will witness continued insecurity in�Afghanistan�together with consistent threats against Iran�s national security.�





Source:�Persia Digest