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
TT

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.



Explosion Occurs at Turkish Oil Refinery During Drills, But No Casualties are Reported

Representation photo: AFP file photo of a fire at an Iranian oil refinery
Representation photo: AFP file photo of a fire at an Iranian oil refinery
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Explosion Occurs at Turkish Oil Refinery During Drills, But No Casualties are Reported

Representation photo: AFP file photo of a fire at an Iranian oil refinery
Representation photo: AFP file photo of a fire at an Iranian oil refinery

An explosion occurred at an oil refinery in northwestern Türkiye on Tuesday, an official said, adding the situation was “under control” and there were no reports of any casualties.
Mayor Tahir Buyukakin told private NTV television that the blast occurred at the Turkish Petroleum Refineries company, Tupras, in Izmit province during “routine drills.”
A fire was quickly brought under control by the privately owned company’s own emergency crews and no request for help was made, he said.
Video footage from the site showed smoke rising from the refinery, The Associated Press said.
It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion.