Tehran: Iran has welcomed the talks with the Taliban, but Tehran has not yet "formally recognized" the Taliban.
According to Al Jazeera, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzada said high-level talks with Taliban representatives had been "positive" but that Iran was still "not ready to formally recognize the Taliban."
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He said in a press conference that the current situation in Afghanistan is a major concern for Iran and the visit of the Afghan delegation was related to these concerns.
A Taliban delegation led by Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Mottaki met with their Iranian counterparts led by Foreign Minister Hussein Amir Abdullahian.
This was the first visit by a Taliban delegation to Iran since the disastrous US withdrawal in August.
Iran's official position is that it will recognize the Taliban only if they succeed in forming a "comprehensive" government.
Iran's special envoy Hassan Kazmi Qaumi has paid several visits to Afghanistan in recent months, and Iran and the Taliban have been in contact ever since.
The Taliban's foreign minister arrived in Iran on an official visit
Neighboring Iran, which shares a 900-kilometer border with Afghanistan, has already sheltered millions of Afghan refugees and is now trying to chart a relationship with the Taliban, fearing an influx of more refugees.
It should be noted that Iran did not recognize the first Taliban government from 1996 to 2001 and has not yet recognized the new Taliban government that was re-established after two decades. However, it has expressed its desire for good relations.
