US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday accused Iran of working to undermine efforts to bring peace to Afghanistan.
Pompeo made the accusation amid an escalating crisis with Iran following a US drone strike on Friday in Iraq that killed General Qasem Soleimani, who commanded the Quds Force, the overseas arm of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
“Iran has refused to join the regional and international consensus for peace and is, in fact, actively working to undermine the peace process by continuing its long global effort to support militant groups there,” Pompeo said at a news conference.
“The Taliban’s entanglement in Iran’s dirty work will only harm the Afghanistan peace process,” Pompeo said.
Iran has previously been accused by US and Afghan officials of providing support to the Taliban. Tehran has also been hosting Taliban leaders for talks amid negotiations between the group and the US.
Last June, Pompeo accused Iran of instigating a May 31 suicide bombing in Kabul – claimed by the Taliban – that killed four passersby and slightly wounded four U.S. servicemen.
