Iran’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement indicating that “Iran is closely monitoring the political and security developments in Afghanistan with concern, and is alarmed by the unpredictable consequences of the disputes over the results of the Afghan presidential elections for the internal stability and also by its regional impacts… Iran blames such conditions on the U.S. government’s disregard for the existing problems with the holding of elections in Afghanistan”. It went on to argue that “giving priority to the U.S. president’s needs in his election campaign for the presidential election in November and the U.S.’s irresponsible impetuosity in advancing the negotiations without considering the region’s interests and security resulted in disregard for the internal issues, which led to the current circumstances”. The statement further indicated that “Iran hopes that formation of an inclusive government… would immediately prepare the ground for the beginning of intra-Afghan talks with the participation of all political groups in the country, including the Taliban”, adding that “Iran is prepared, like the past, for an active participation in the regional efforts that are made with the purpose of settlement of problems in Afghanistan, and to exercise its capacities for ensuring peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region”.