Afghanistan

Taliban declines invitation to attend Afghanistan-centric meeting in Tehran

KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban has refused to attend a meeting in Tehran focused on Afghanistan, despite receiving an invitation, according to a senior official from the Taliban-run foreign ministry.

Zakir Jalali, a Taliban diplomat, shared the news on X on Saturday, without disclosing the reason for their refusal. He emphasized that the Taliban hoped countries would adhere to the typical format for such meetings.

Tehran is hosting a “Regional Contact Group” meeting today, under the title of the Moscow Format, to discuss the situation in Afghanistan.

The meeting precedes the Doha summit of special envoys on Afghanistan, which is due to be convened by the United Nations at the end of June.