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.



Japan Expresses Concern to China over Russia-North Korea Ties

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui (R), shake hands before a meeting at the Kremlin, in Moscow, Russia, 04 November 2024. EPA/Mikhail Tereshchenko / Sputnik / Kremlin Pool
Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui (R), shake hands before a meeting at the Kremlin, in Moscow, Russia, 04 November 2024. EPA/Mikhail Tereshchenko / Sputnik / Kremlin Pool
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Japan Expresses Concern to China over Russia-North Korea Ties

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui (R), shake hands before a meeting at the Kremlin, in Moscow, Russia, 04 November 2024. EPA/Mikhail Tereshchenko / Sputnik / Kremlin Pool
Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui (R), shake hands before a meeting at the Kremlin, in Moscow, Russia, 04 November 2024. EPA/Mikhail Tereshchenko / Sputnik / Kremlin Pool

Japan's top national security official said he conveyed "serious concerns" to China's foreign minister over North Korea's deepening ties with Russia after the pair held talks in Beijing.

Their meeting on Monday was four and a half hours long, according to Japanese media, which said the two also discussed a possible head-to-head between President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba this month at a summit in Peru.

"Regarding current events on the Korean Peninsula, cooperation between Russia and the DPRK came up as a topic of discussion," Takeo Akiba told reporters late Monday, using the acronym of North Korea's official name.

"I conveyed our country's serious concerns about this," he added after the talks with Wang Yi.

The United States and its allies say they believe up to 10,000 North Korean troops are on the brink of entering combat in Ukraine from Russia's side.

On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted the North Korean foreign minister, who has previously said the country will stand by Russia until its "victory" in Ukraine.

China considers Russia and North Korea its close partners. Washington has also expressed to China its concerns over Moscow and Pyongyang's deepening military engagement.

Monday's high-level talks were at China's invitation, Japanese government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said on Tuesday.

Akiba said he and Wang "affirmed that our two countries share the broad direction of promoting our strategic and mutually beneficial relations as well as building constructive and stable relations".

Relations between Japan and China have worsened as Beijing builds up its military capacity in the region, and as Japan boosts security ties with the United States and its allies.

Prime Minister Ishiba -- who took office just one month ago and could lead a minority government after his ruling coalition lost its majority in snap elections -- is hoping to meet Xi on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Peru from November 10-16.

Akiba also reiterated Tokyo's concerns about the fatal stabbing of a Japanese schoolboy in Shenzhen in September, he said.