SAEDNEWS: Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi expressed Tehran's readiness to assist in facilitating talks and enhancing mutual understanding and cooperation between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
In a message posted on X in Urdu, Araqchi invited the two neighboring nations to engage in dialogue.
"In the blessed month of Ramadan, the month of self-restraint and strengthening solidarity in the Islamic world, it is appropriate for Afghanistan and Pakistan to manage and resolve existing differences within the framework of good neighborliness and through dialogue," the message stated.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran is ready for any assistance in facilitating dialogue and strengthening understanding and cooperation between the two countries," the Iranian minister concluded in his message.
Recent border clashes have intensified hostilities between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban government.
Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan escalated dramatically, culminating in what Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif described as an "open war."
The crisis was triggered by a series of violent incidents, including explosions in Kabul and sustained clashes along the shared border, particularly near the vital Torkham crossing.
Pakistan accused Afghan Taliban fighters of unprovoked aggression, claiming to have killed 133 Taliban members and injured over 200 in retaliatory strikes. The Taliban, however, disputed these figures, reporting only eight deaths and 11 injuries on their side, while asserting they had killed 55 Pakistani soldiers and seized military posts.
Pakistan’s air force responded with airstrikes on Taliban targets in Kabul, Kandahar, and other locations, framing the action as a robust reply to Taliban aggression.
The conflict was further fueled by a wave of deadly attacks within Pakistan, including a suicide bombing at a Shiite mosque in Islamabad on February 6 that killed 36 people, and a vehicle-borne explosion in Bajaur that claimed the lives of 11 soldiers and a child—both incidents linked to Afghan perpetrators.
Pakistan’s retaliation included airstrikes on suspected militant hideouts in Afghanistan, targeting groups like Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which Afghanistan claimed resulted in at least 18 deaths.
The Taliban vowed reprisals, and border skirmishes intensified, with the Taliban announcing "large-scale offensive operations" along the Durand Line.
