*TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Javed Zarif responds over US and AfghanTaliban peace deal resulting into troops withdrawal from Afghanistan.*

*Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said on Monday that he is notoptimistic about talks between the United States and the Taliban insurgentgroup.*

Mr. Zarif added that talks between Afghan sides is the only peacefulsolution to the Afghan conflict and Afghans should decide on their future.

“We strongly believe that no talks could ignore the democratic achievementsof Afghanistan made during the past 18 years,” he told reporters aftertalks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow.

The top Iranian diplomat emphasized that Tehran is concerned regarding the“huge presence of Daesh in Afghanistan” and the U.S. misuse of Afghanistanfor short-term political gains.

This comes as the U.S. “in principle” has finalized its agreement with theTaliban.