Afghan Taliban 'discusses post-occupation situation' with Iran

The Taliban discussed Afghanistan's "post-occupation situation" with Iran in their latest meeting, the group said on Tuesday, as Tehran makes a more concerted and open push for peace ahead of a possible US drawdown.

The remarks come after Iran confirmed on Monday that the militant group had visited Tehran for a second round of talks in just a few days that are aimed at ending Afghanistan's 17-year conflict.

The Taliban delegation discussed "the post-occupation situation, restoration of peace and security in Afghanistan and the region" with Iran, the militants said in a statement posted on social media and emailed to journalists.

The talks signal a growing confidence among the Taliban for US troops to pull out of Afghanistan, after US officials last month told reporters that President Donald Trump had decided to slash the number of boots on the ground.

Despite reports about talks between Iran and the Taliban in recent weeks, Tehran has typically denied that any had taken place. Iran's confirmation of its talks with the group will likely raise concern among hawkish lawmakers in Washington preoccupied with containing Iranian influence.

Iran's deputy foreign ministry Abbas Araghchi will travel to Afghanistan in the next two weeks, the foreign ministry said, without giving further details.

Last month, the Taliban also met with the United States, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in the United Arab Emirates as part of a flurry of diplomatic efforts to end the war.

But the Taliban has refused to meet a delegation from Afghanistan's government, which it called the "Kabul administration," at the next meeting expected to be held in Saudi Arabia later this month.

Iran and Afghanistan share a nearly 600-mile (960-kilometre) border, and have had a complex relationship in recent years.

Tehran has long supported its co-religionists in Afghanistan, the Shia Hazara minority, who were violently persecuted by the Taliban during its rule in the 1990s.

Iran worked alongside the United States and Western powers to help drive out the Taliban after the US-led invasion in 2001.

But there have been allegations, from Western and Afghan sources, that Iran's Revolutionary Guards have in recent years established ties with the Taliban aimed at driving out US forces from Afghanistan.