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Tehran offers to mediate Afghanistan-Pakistan border tensions
“Among the important points for us is the issue of security and stability in neighboring states. Afghanistan and Pakistan are both our Muslim neighbors, and we believe that any estrangement in relations between the two countries can have consequences extending beyond their borders," Esmaeil Baqaei said during his weekly press conference.
Dozens of soldiers were killed on Saturday night in the most serious fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan since the Taliban came to power in Kabul.
The cross-border fighting erupted along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border after an attack by the Afghan Taliban on Pakistani military posts led to a heavy exchange of fire.
According to officials, Afghan troops opened fire on Pakistani army posts along the north-western border with Pakistan on Saturday night and seized several of the posts. The attacks came after the Taliban accused Pakistan of carrying out airstrikes on Afghan territory, including in the capital, Kabul, earlier this week.
Pakistan's military said 23 of its troops and more than 200 Taliban and affiliated fighters on the Afghan side were killed in the clashes.
It also closed border crossings with Afghanistan on Sunday, Pakistani officials said.
However, Taliban have released different figures from the casualties. Taliban said their forces killed 58 Pakistani soldiers but gave no details on how it knew of the casualty figures. It also said that 20 Afghan troops were killed or injured.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has called for dialogue and restraint from both sides, and emphasizes that the differences between Afghanistan and Pakistan must be resolved through dialogue and interactions,” Baqaei said on Monday.