Afghanistan Says Iran-U.S. Diplomacy “Constructive Step”

(MENAFN) Afghanistan threw its diplomatic weight behind ongoing peace efforts Wednesday, with Kabul's top diplomat endorsing the fragile dialogue between Tehran and Washington as a positive step toward ending the Middle East war.

Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi conveyed the remarks during a phone call with Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi, according to state broadcaster Radio and Television Afghanistan. Muttaqi described the diplomatic approach between Tehran and Washington as a constructive step, emphasizing the importance of resolving issues through dialogue and negotiation.

Beyond the broader conflict, the two ministers reviewed the state of Afghan-Iranian bilateral ties, with Muttaqi painting an upbeat picture of the relationship. He welcomed the recent uptick in trade and expanded cooperation, expressing satisfaction with the upward trajectory of ties between Kabul and Tehran. For his part, Araghchi brought his Afghan counterpart up to speed on the latest developments in the Tehran-Washington negotiating track.

Those talks, however, remain stalled. A second round of U.S.-Iran negotiations had been anticipated this week in Pakistan, but Tehran pulled back, refusing to attend until Washington dismantles what it called the "illegal" blockade of Iranian ports. Washington had indicated its delegation would be headed by Vice President JD Vance.

The diplomatic gridlock is compounded by a volatile situation on the ground. On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump extended a two-week ceasefire with Iran to buy time for Tehran to formulate a "unified proposal" — a move made at the request of Pakistani officials. The truce had been due to expire Wednesday but was prolonged without a defined new deadline.

At the center of the standoff is the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping artery that has remained largely closed since U.S. and Israeli forces launched strikes against Iran on Feb. 28. Washington has pressed for the waterway's reopening. Tehran briefly declared it open last Friday, only to reverse course the following day after Trump announced the port blockade would remain in place. By Sunday, U.S. forces had boarded and detained an Iranian cargo ship after opening fire on it.

Pakistan has been the primary diplomatic broker throughout the crisis, engineering the original ceasefire on April 8 and hosting the first round of direct talks in Islamabad on April 11 and 12. Senior delegations from both nations participated, but the sessions yielded no breakthrough agreement to end the broader Middle East conflict.

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