US hampering Afghanistan progress through its assets seizure: Iran’s interim FM

Iran’s interim Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani has deplored the seizure of Afghanistan's national assets, arguing that Washington is hampering the progress of the country and exacerbating humanitarian situation despite having withdrawn its military forces in August 2021.

Bagheri Kani made the remarks on Saturday in a message addressed to the second meeting of the Regional Contact Group on Afghanistan, which is underway in the Iranian capital Tehran and also hosts representatives from China, Russia and Pakistan.

“Some three years have passed from the time when occupation forces pulled out of Afghanistan, and our neighboring country has faced various challenges since then. The acting government in Afghanistan has made achievements on some of those challenges; but problems have persisted in other spheres,” the top Iranian diplomat noted.

He blamed the US occupation for the ongoing problems in Afghanistan, arguing that occupation and the occupiers’ disregard for economic growth constitute the root cause of many problems and challenges in the country.

“Even though the occupiers have withdrawn from Afghanistan's soil, they are actually putting obstacle in the way of the country’s progress through freezing the assets of the Afghan nation,” Bagheri Kani noted.

The top Iranian diplomat also denounced the occupiers over destruction of Afghanistan’s economic infrastructure during their presence there, stating that they left behind a devastated country for its people after their pullout.

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The occupiers should realize they cannot shirk their humanitarian duties, and must play their part to compensate for the economic underdevelopment of Afghanistan through refraining from political interference in the country’s domestic affairs, Bagheri Kani said.

He further noted that regional meetings on Afghanistan, which have been held within various formats in the past several years, are the best mechanism in order to help the country shape its future and resolve its pressing problems.

The interim foreign minister underscored that Iran supports any constructive initiative that helps promote peace, stability and development in Afghanistan, warning against trans-regional attempts to impact developments there as such bids are in violation of Afghanistan’s territorial integrity and national sovereignty.

Bagheri Kani also urged the United Nations to double down its efforts as to improvement of humanitarian conditions in Afghanistan, and help promote regional stability and security.

Regional countries are the ones that suffer the most from backwardness and underdevelopment in Afghanistan, he pointed out.

Bagheri Kani stressed that the Taliban should devote more efforts to ensure that an inclusive government made up of all ethnic groups is formed, and that political stability as well as economic development are achieved in the country.

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