Afghanistan's Protest to Zarif: Wouldn't it be better to listen to your internal opponents instead of the Taliban?

An Afghan government official sharply criticized the statements of Iran's Foreign Minister, who called for the Taliban's involvement in the future government of Afghanistan, and advised Iranian officials to listen to their internal opponents instead. Shah-Hossein Mortazavi, the deputy spokesman for the Afghan president, accused Iranian foreign ministry officials of acting as 'spokespersons for the Taliban these days.' He pointed out that if Iran believes in dialogue to find a political solution, 'why has it closed the path for dialogue with its internal opposition groups, including the Mojahedin-e Khalq?' Iran claims it has entered negotiations with the Taliban with the knowledge of the Afghan government to advance peace talks in the country. In this context, the Taliban sent a delegation to Tehran last week to discuss with a group of Iranian diplomats led by Abbas Araghchi, Iran's foreign minister. Mr. Araghchi then traveled to Kabul to inform Afghan officials about these negotiations. Meanwhile, Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Iranian foreign minister, who is visiting New Delhi, stated that 'the future government of Afghanistan cannot be without the role of the Taliban,' although Tehran believes that this role should not be dominant. However, the deputy spokesman for the Afghan president invited Iranian officials to focus on their own internal political problems instead of Afghanistan. Shah-Hossein Mortazavi wrote in his Facebook post: '[Neighboring country] why does it not take action to solve its internal political problems that have brought Iran to crisis for years? Wouldn't it be better to listen to the voices of political opponents like Mir Hossein Mousavi or Karroubi instead of hearing the Taliban?' Mehdi Karroubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi, two candidates from the 2009 presidential election who accused the regime of widespread fraud in that election, have been under house arrest for about eight years. Although the deputy spokesman for the Afghan president deleted this Facebook post an hour after publishing it, this time the deputy foreign minister of Afghanistan took a stance against Mohammad Javad Zarif's remarks, calling them an example of interference in Afghanistan's internal affairs. Previously, the United States had repeatedly accused Iran of supporting the Taliban and even arming it. However, Iran emphasizes that it has only had political contacts with the Taliban and has not sought to turn these contacts into a relationship to legitimize the Taliban.