Shamkhani Receives Taliban Delegation in Tehran, Blames US for Bloodshed in Afghanistan

Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council - TASNIM
Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council - TASNIM
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Shamkhani Receives Taliban Delegation in Tehran, Blames US for Bloodshed in Afghanistan

Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council - TASNIM
Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council - TASNIM

Iranian and Taliban officials met in Tehran on Wednesday and accused the US of provoking the continuation of war in Afghanistan, Iranian State TV reported.

Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, told visiting Taliban political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar that the US seeks to continue the war in neighboring Afghanistan.

“The US strategy supports the continuation of war and bloodshed among various Afghan groups in the political spectrum,” Shamkhani was quoted as saying.

He said the US tries to blame insecurity and instability in the country on individual Afghan groups.

There was no immediate comment from the US, which signed a peace agreement with the Taliban last February and met its goal this month of reducing the number of troops in Afghanistan to about 2,500, The Associated Press reported.

Taliban representatives and the Afghan government earlier this month resumed peace talks in Qatar, the Gulf Arab state where the insurgents maintain an office.

The stop-and-go talks are aimed at ending decades of conflict. But frustration and fear have grown over a recent spike in violence, and both sides blame one another.

Baradar, who arrived Monday with a Taliban delegation, criticized the US for allegedly breaking its commitments to the February deal. He did not elaborate.

“We do not trust the US and will fight any group that is a mercenary for the US,” he said.

Iran sees the presence of US forces in neighboring Afghanistan and Iraq as a threat on its doorstep and routinely calls for their departure.

Iran and Afghanistan have some 945 kilometers (some 585 miles) of common border.



WHO Chief Back to Work after Being Discharged from Hospital

FILE PHOTO: Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attends the World Health Assembly at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, May 27, 2024. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attends the World Health Assembly at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, May 27, 2024. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo
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WHO Chief Back to Work after Being Discharged from Hospital

FILE PHOTO: Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attends the World Health Assembly at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, May 27, 2024. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attends the World Health Assembly at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, May 27, 2024. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo

The head of the World Health Organization said on social media platform X on Thursday he had been discharged from a hospital in Rio de Janeiro after being admitted overnight.

"I felt unwell yesterday afternoon and was admitted to Samaritano Barra Hospital in Rio, but I was discharged this morning and am back to work," said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Tedros, 59, suffers from hypertension. He was in Rio de Janeiro for the G20 summit where he met with US President Joe Biden and other leaders, advocating for strengthened global cooperation in health emergencies.

Local newspaper O Globo had reported earlier on Thursday that Tedros sought medical attention at the facility with "symptoms of labyrinthitis and an hypertensive crisis," after showing signs of being unwell.

According to the report, Tedros was examined on Monday by health professionals on duty at the G20 summit and given medicine for high blood pressure, but was released once he was stable.