Iran allows Taliban to open office to fight US

The Times of India - Iran has allowed the Taliban to open an office in eastern Iran, and has discussed providing them with surface-to-air missiles, raising the potential for cooperation with the insurgents, senior Afghan and Western officials have said.

According to the officials, Iran's shift came after the US and Afghanistan sealed a long-term partnership agreement in May, and in an effort to expand its options for retaliation should its nuclear facilities be attacked, reports the Wall Street Journal.

"Iran is willing to put aside ideology and put aside deeply held religious values...for their ultimate goal: accelerating the departure of US forces from Afghanistan," the official said, referring to the fact that Iran has permitted an official Taliban presence in the country as both "see America as the bigger enemy". Senior officials said, the office in Zahedan, close to Quetta where the Taliban leadership is based, is intended to allow Iran to coordinate with the Taliban against the US.