Anti-Taliban leader says ready to fight Taliban

In a sign of the fragile state of Afghanistan, Ahmed Massoud, the leader of a military alliance that includes former Afghan government soldiers says he and his forces are ready to fight the Taliban in Panjshir valley.

“Watch what you say!”

Iran calls for inclusive Afghan government

TEHRAN — In his weekly press briefing on Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said that Iran favors an “inclusive” government in Afghanistan, and will continue to stand by the Afghan people.

Pakistan FM to visit Iran for Afghanistan talks

TEHRAN – Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmoud Qureshi will pay a visit to Iran on Thursday to discuss developments in bilateral relations and Afghanistan, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said.

“War criminal” Blair slams Biden’s Afghan exit as sign of West’s decline 

Tony Blair has quite dramatically broken his silence over the “chaotic” U.S.-led military withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Iranian, Russian presidents vow to help establish security in Afghanistan

TEHRAN - During a telephone conversation on Wednesday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Russia President Vladimir said Tehran and Moscow are ready to help establish peace and security in the war-torn Afghanistan.

Biden shifts blame for Afghan war defeat

In a much anticipated live address on the lightening fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban, U.S. President, Joe Biden, rejected broad criticism of the chaotic evacuation scenes at Kabul airport.

By Mahmood Monshipouri

The unwinnable war in Afghanistan: What is left to learn?

Long known as the “Graveyard of Empires,” Afghanistan has been vehemently inhospitable to outside intervention. The lessons that should be learned from the legion of failed outside attempts to conquer Afghanistan are varied and many and yet none have been taken deeply to heart by U.S. military strategists in recent decades. 

Zarif holds talks with China’s special envoy on Afghanistan

TEHRAN – On Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and China’s special envoy for Afghanistan Yue Xiao Yong exchanged views on the recent developments in Afghanistan.

Iran says is in contact with all Afghan groups

TEHRAN – The Iranian Foreign Ministry announced on Monday that Tehran is in contact with all Afghan sides and reiterated the Islamic Republic welcomes a peaceful transition of power through the coordination council led by former Afghan President Hamid Karzai and a few other top figures.

President Raisi: Iran will make efforts to stabilize Afghanistan

TEHRAN – New Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi announced on Monday that his country will make efforts to stabilize neighboring Afghanistan.

Taliban says war is over, calls for peaceful international relations

The Taliban have declared the war in Afghanistan is over after its fighters swept into the capital, Kabul, and President Ashraf Ghani fled the country on Sunday.

Taliban take control of Kabul and presidential palace, Ashraf Ghani flees

Taliban forces are assuming control of the Afghan capital Kabul and have taken control of the presidential palace, after the country's president Ashraf Ghani fled to Tashkent, Uzbekistan. 

Iran reduces diplomatic staff in Kabul

TEHRAN – Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said late on Sunday that Iran will reduce its diplomatic staff in Kabul.

Iran’s Zarif wishes ‘peaceful transition’ in Afghanistan

TEHRAN – Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif advises rival Afghan sides that like occupation, violence and war will never help settle the long-running conflict in Afghanistan, and expresses hope for a “peaceful transition” of power in the country.

U.S. rushes to save Americans stuck in Afghanistan

The Pentagon says most U.S. troops on a mission to evacuate the Kabul embassy will arrive by Sunday and will be prepared to airlift thousands of people per day.

No clashes between Taliban, Iran border guards: security sources

Security sources informed with the matter have dismissed rumors that there have been clashes between the Taliban militants and Iranian border guards, saying there exists no problem at Iran’s borders with neighboring Afghanistan.

Iran transfers consular services from Mazar-i-Sharif to Kabul

TEHRAN – Iran has decided to move its consular services from Mazar-i-Sharif to the Afghanistan capital after Taliban insurgents took over the city, according to an Al Jazeera report. 

Taliban negotiators heading to presidential palace to prepare for power transition

Taliban negotiators are heading to presidential palace to prepare for transfer of power after entering outskirts of Kabul, according to The Guardian.

Taliban say have no plans to take Kabul 'by force'

The Taliban have issued a statement saying they have instructed their fighters to “stay at the gates of Kabul and not enter the city.

Taliban close in on Kabul, seize Jalalabad

The Taliban have taken control of Afghanistan’s Jalalabad without a fight, according to officials and a resident, effectively leaving the capital, Kabul, as the last major urban area under government control, Al Jazeera reported.

Iran voices concern over escalation in Afghanistan 

TEHRAN – The Iranian Foreign Ministry has expressed concerns over the rapid escalation of the war in neighboring Afghanistan as the Taliban took over the province of Herat where Iranian diplomats still work in the Iranian consulate.

Taliban say no ceasefire reached as battles continue

Speaking to Al-Jazeera TV, a Taliban spokesman says there was no ceasefire agreement with Afghanistan’s government.

Iran expresses deep concern over developments in Afghanistan

TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh has voiced “deep concern” over continued clashes in neighboring Afghanistan as the internecine war between the Afghan government and the Taliban continued to rage on. 

Iran insists on inter-Afghan dialogue to settle conflict

TEHRAN — Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Sunday met with Jean Arnault, Special Representative of the UN secretary general for Afghanistan, who led a delegation to Tehran to exchange views with Iranian Foreign Ministry officials about the intensifying war between the Afghan government and the Taliban.