The U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, assessed that “Iran would like to keep us entangled in a conflict without winning or losing but paying a high price in Afghanistan until there is an agreement between the U.S. and Iran”. “We have offered to meet with Iranians on this issue, that they should join various forma where we are there and they are there, to discuss the future of Afghanistan”, he added, while also noting that the U.S. was observing “very closely” Iran-linked groups. Iran’s special envoy for Afghanistan subsequently indicated that “Iran has officially and openly supported the launch of negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban and has expressed readiness to help advance the process of real and sustainable peace in that country”. He further asserted that Khalilzad’s comments “result from the gradual revelation of the mistake that architects of the Doha deal made in advancing the peace process and their resort to the blame game in order to justify the ineffectiveness of this policy by accusing the other countries”.