Iran hosts Taliban to discuss Afghan peace process

Head of Political Office of Taliban Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai (R) and chief negotiator Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar (L) attend peace talks with Afghan senior politicians in Moscow, Russia May 30, 2019. (Reuters/ File Photo)

• Taliban chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar met with Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif
• Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen confirmed the meeting in a social media post

TEHRAN, Iran: Iran’s state TV says a delegation of the Taliban visited Tehran and discussed efforts to bring a negotiated end to Afghanistan’s 18-year war.
Wednesday’s report said Taliban politburo chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar met with Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif. It said they discussed Tehran’s readiness to help facilitate the intra-Afghan dialogue.
Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen tweeted that the meeting took place on Tuesday.
While rare, these are not the first talks between the Taliban and Iranian officials.
U.S.-Taliban peace talks collapsed in September. In the following weeks, a Taliban delegation traveled to Russia, China, Iran, and Pakistan.
Last Tuesday, the Taliban freed an American and an Australian held hostage since 2016 in exchange for three top Taliban figures. The insurgent group said the swap could help rekindle peace negotiations.