The Government of Iran on Monday condemned the assault by the Taliban on the Afghan region of Panjshir, a stronghold of a resistance movement, and considered “extremely worrying” the fighting in this area in recent days. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Said Jatibzadé has called for resolving the dispute over control of Panjshir through dialogue.
“No one should allow fratricide,” he assured, in a public appearance in which he advocated a “political solution.” In this sense, he has criticized the supposed blockade imposed by the Taliban, which he considers contrary to international law, and has urged the militants to fulfill all their commitments, according to the Tasnim news agency.
The Iranian pronouncement comes after a telephone conversation between the new Foreign Minister, Hosein Amirabdolahian, and the Afghan political leader Abdullah Abdullah, a key interlocutor in the new scenario opened after the explosive rise of the Taliban. Both spoke on Sunday and Abdullah, in addition to congratulating Amirabdolahian on his new position, called on him to guarantee the dispatch of humanitarian aid. Both have agreed on the need for the Afghans themselves to decide their political future, according to a statement released by Abdullah.
The Iranian foreign spokesman has also publicly positioned himself against any interference: “Everyone knows that the history of Afghanistan has shown that meddling causes nothing but failure.”