*GENEVA: **Afghan Taliban held important meeting with Iranian Foreignminister Javed Zarif.*

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif held talks in Tehran with aAfghan Taliban delegation led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, one of thegroup’s founders, the official *IRNA* news agency reported on Wednesday.

Zarif expressed Iran’s willingness to support dialogue between all Afghanparties with the participation of the Afghan government, according to*IRNA.*

The Taliban have refused to talk to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’sgovernment, denouncing it as a US puppet.

Last week, the Taliban released American and Australian universityprofessors held hostage for more than three years, completing a delayedprisoner swap and raising hopes for a revival of peace talks.

Iran also held talks with a delegation from Afghanistan’s Taliban inSeptember, a week after peace talks between the United States and theinsurgents collapsed.

The Rouhani government said in December it had been meeting Talibanrepresentatives with the knowledge of the Afghan government, after reportsof US-Taliban talks about a ceasefire and a possible withdrawal of foreigntroops, Reuters has reported.