Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi meets Ahmed Masood and Commander Ismail Khan in Tehran
Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has met with former jihadi leader Ismail Khan and Afghan National Resistance Front leader Ahmad Massoud in Tehran.
Confirming the meeting, Amir Muttaqi said he had gone to Tehran with a delegation of Taliban officials.
Speaking to reporters on his return to Kabul, the Taliban foreign minister said: "We also met with Commander Ismail Khan and Ahmad Massoud in Iran, met with other Afghans and invited them to return to their country. And he assured them that they would not face any difficulties.
Sources close to the Afghan National Resistance Front also confirmed, saying it was mediated by Iran.
This is the first time since the Taliban took over Panjshir province, which has been a stronghold of anti-Taliban militants, that they have met with a leader of their opposition.
Ismail Khan is a former jihadi commander and has long been the governor of the western province of Herat. He was detained during the Taliban's occupation of Herat last year but was soon released, after which he moved to the Iranian city of Mashhad.
Ahmed Masood is the eldest son of Ahmed Shah Masood, a former jihadi commander and leader of the Northern Alliance. He went into hiding after the Taliban took control of Kabul and announced that he would continue to resist the Taliban under the banner of the Afghan National Resistance Front.
Ahmed Masoud has already paid unofficial visits to Iran.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman expressed hope that the meeting would yield good results. "We hope that this will result in a brighter future for the people of Afghanistan," Saeed Khatibzada told a news conference on Monday, according to Iran's national broadcaster.
Iran has previously called for a government in Afghanistan that represents all ethnic groups, and the meeting is being seen as an attempt to pave the way for that.
On Sunday, Afghan Foreign minister Amir Muttaqi also met with Iranian Foreign Minister Amir Abdullahian and other Foreign Ministry officials and Iranian President's Special Envoy Hassan Kazemi Qaumi.
He described his meeting with Iranian officials as positive.