Iranian diplomats act as spokespersons for the Taliban, Afghan official

Iranian diplomats act as spokespersons for the Taliban, Afghan official

Shah Hossein Mortazavi, spokesperson for the Afghan President

Reported by PMOI/MEK

Iran, Jan. 12, 2019 - Following the Iranian regime’s incessant meddling in Afghanistan and its aiding and abetting the extremist group Afghan Taliban, officials from the Afghan government have started to issue statements and criticize Tehran for the destructive role it is playing in their country.

In this regard, Shah Hossein Mortazavi, the spokesperson for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, said, “These days, the officials of the Iranian regime’s foreign ministry are acting as the spokespersons for Taliban. If the neighboring country believes dialog will solve problems, why isn’t it opening the way to dialog with dissident groups inside Iran, including the PMOI/MEK? Why isn’t trying to solve its years-long domestic crises through dialog?”

Mortazavi added, “The Iranian government is afraid that the freedoms that exist in Afghanistan will become an example for Iran, and that’s why it is vouching for the ideology of [Taliban leader] Mulla Omar in Afghanistan.”

Javad Zarif, the Iranian regime’s foreign minister, has recently said that the Taliban should have a role in Afghanistan. His deputy Abbas Araghchi recently traveled to Kabul to discuss the establishment of a new Afghan government with the participation of the Taliban.

Moreover, the Iranian regime hosted the Taliban in Tehran and had detailed discussion with the extremist group. Both the Iranian regime and the Taliban confirmed that the negotiations had taken place.

Interestingly, the Iranian regime previously considered the Taliban its enemy. Tehran helped provide the U.S. with intelligence about the Taliban when coalition forces invaded Afghanistan in 2001. The Iranian regime has also tried to associate the Taliban with the MEK for years.

History has shown that the Iranian regime forges alliances based on its short-term interests. And then it breaks them as soon as they no longer serve its purposes. This is a pattern that has been observed in Yemen, Iraq, Syria and other places.