Iran ready to cooperate with UN on Afghanistan: Zarif

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the Islamic Republic is prepared to cooperate with the United Nations and all its affiliated bodies to promote stability in Afghanistan.

Zarif made the remarks in a meeting with Special Representative for UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan Tadamichi Yamamoto in Tehran on Monday.

Pointing to the existing cooperation between Tehran and Kabul, the top Iranian diplomat stressed the importance of taking measures to counter Daesh terrorists in the region, particularly in Afghanistan, given the group’s recent defeats in Iraq and Syria.

Zarif and the UN envoy also discussed efforts by Iran and the Afghan national unity government to establish stability in the war-ravaged country.

Afghanistan is engulfed by violence and many parts of the country remain plagued by militancy despite the presence of foreign troops. The United States and its NATO allies invaded and occupied the country as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror in 2001, which toppled a Taliban regime.

Over the past 16 years, the Taliban have been carrying out militancy across Afghanistan, killing and displacing government officials, security forces, and civilians.

The Takfiri Daesh terrorist group has also more recently gained a foothold in the crisis-hit country.