Iran denies reports Taliban opens office in Zahedan

Iranian Embassy in Ankara has strongly dismissed the Turkish media reports claiming that Tehran has allowed the Taliban terrorist organization to set up an office in the eastern Iranian city of Zahedan, Press TV reported.

The Iranian mission, in a statement released on Friday, described the allegations as unrealistic, ridiculous and bogus. The statement highlighted that the Taliban killed Iranian diplomats and correspondents when they took control of Afghanistan.

"The US attempts to engage in talks with the Taliban is no secret to anyone. Americans have been trying for years to make projections and link Iran to terrorist groups in a bid to cover up their fiasco in Afghanistan. This is while Iran has greatly contributed to campaign against terrorism and has lost a large number of its security forces fighting terrorists," the statement added.

The Iranian Embassy further noted that more than 120,000 people have been killed in Afghanistan since the US-led invasion of the country in 2001, and terrorism has been on the rise in the Asian country since then.

"Production of narcotics has increased by 30 percent (in Afghanistan), and there have been no improvement in Afghanistan's infrastructure. Rising terrorism and insecurity in the region have been the result of US presence in Afghanistan under any pretext," the statement pointed out.

The Iranian Embassy statement concluded that dissemination of baseless anti-Iran allegations will only instigate the public opinion, create an atmosphere of pessimism, damage Iran-Turkey national interests, and is in line with efforts being made by certain Western states to fan the flames of enmity and discord in the region.