Iran's Raisi calls US 'defeat' in Afghanistan opportunity for peace
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's comments came as the deteriorating security situation forced Tehran to draw down its diplomatic presence in Afghanistan.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on Monday that the United States’ “defeat” in Afghanistan could make way for peace as the war-torn country reels from the Taliban’s lightning advance.
"The military defeat and the US withdrawal from Afghanistan should offer an opportunity to restore life, security and lasting peace in that country," Raisi’s office quoted him as telling outgoing Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in a call Monday.
President Joe Biden, who promised to end the United States' longest military conflict, temporarily deployed several thousand troops to Afghanistan over the weekend to help evacuate US Embassy staff, American civilians and eligible Afghans in Kabul.
Scenes of chaos unfolded at Afghanistan's international airport on Monday, a day after the US-backed government collapsed and the Taliban declared victory. As Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the capital city for an unspecified destination, thousands of desperate Afghan civilians flocked to the airport hoping to board evacuation flights out of the country.
