taliban

Officials worry that violence in the country will surge if an agreement is not reached soon.

Simantov, 61, said he will leave after this year’s High Holidays season in the fall.

They discussed the peace process and concerns over rising violence.

“The Biden administration has emphasized that it will abide by the agreement it [the US] signed with the Taliban last year, but it has also noted that the agreement is conditions-based."

The Taliban statement followed a flurry of falsified images and video clips on social media that suggested participants in the March 8 protests had insulted Islam, which they strongly denied.

Will Biden rethink a deal that many in Kabul see as giving too much away to the Taliban?

A string of near-daily roadside bombings in recent weeks has killed government officials, judges, journalists and activists.

Iran supports an inclusive Afghan government that would include all ethnic groups and sects, Zarif was quoted as saying.