Spox: Intra-Afghan talks 'only' sustainable solution to national conflict

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, the Iranian official said Iran believes that stability would be ensured in Afghanistan if all groups could play a role in the country.

Pointing to the current visit by a high-ranking Taliban delegation to Tehran, he said talks will be held on ways to promote lasting peace in Afghanistan.

"We have made a huge investment for Afghanistan's peace and hosted millions of Afghans over the past decades," the Iranian spokesperson said.

He expressed hope that stability would be established in Afghanistan, and that Afghan people would have peaceful coexistence regardless of religious and ethnic issues.

Khatibzadeh further said Iran's stance on Afghanistan has always been independent from that of the United States, no matter who is at the helm in the White House.

"The US has no option but to end years of interference and aggression in Afghanistan and reduce the sufferings it has inflicted on regional nations through its responsible withdrawal," he added.

A high-ranking Taliban delegation led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the group's top political leader, arrived in the Iranian capital Tehran on Tuesday at the invitation of the Iranian Foreign Ministry for talks on the Afghan peace process and relevant topics.

Iran strongly supports the realization of peace and stability in neighboring Afghanistan, which has been embroiled in decades of militancy fueled by foreign military intervention.

Accordingly, the Islamic Republic has been closely following the peace negotiations underway since last September between the Afghan government and the Taliban in the Qatari capital Doha.

Afghanistan has been the scene of rampant violence since 2001, when the US ad its allies invaded the country under the banner of fighting "terrorism."

The invasion toppled the Taliban, but the group has never stopped its attacks, citing the foreign military presence as one of the main reasons behind its continued militancy.