Iran is preparing to host a new four-country meeting on Afghanistan in the coming months, as regional powers continue diplomatic consultations on Afghanistan’s security, political situation and future cooperation.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei announced the plan during his weekly press briefing on Monday, November 2.

Baghaei said Tehran was making preparations for the meeting and had already conducted diplomatic visits as part of the process. However, he did not disclose the participating countries, the exact date or the proposed agenda.

Previous meetings under this format have involved Iran, Russia, China and Pakistan, with discussions focusing on regional security, counterterrorism, economic cooperation and engagement with Afghanistan’s current authorities.

The latest ministerial-level meeting among the four countries was held in New York on September 25, 2025, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. The participants called for stronger regional cooperation, counterterrorism coordination, humanitarian assistance and greater economic engagement with Afghanistan.

The proposed meeting comes amid continued regional diplomatic initiatives on Afghanistan. Russia hosted the eighth Moscow Format consultations on October 5, 2026, bringing together representatives from Afghanistan, China, India, Iran, Pakistan and several Central Asian countries.

Discussions at the Moscow meeting covered regional security, counterterrorism, narcotics, humanitarian assistance and economic cooperation.

US President Donald Trump has claimed that he could have won the war in Afghanistan within three weeks, criticising previous American presidents for failing to pursue victory during the country’s longest military conflict.

Speaking at a midterm election campaign rally in Dubuque, Iowa, on Sunday, Trump said successive US administrations had failed to fight wars with the clear objective of winning.

“Afghanistan, years and years. Then, we never fight to win. We don’t fight to win. We fight to tie,” Trump said, referring to the US military involvement in Afghanistan.

He claimed he could have brought the war to an end within a few weeks, saying: “I could have won that war in three weeks.”

Trump also made a similar claim about the Vietnam War, saying he could have won it in one week.

The United States launched its military campaign in Afghanistan in October 2001, following the September 11 attacks. The conflict continued for nearly 20 years before US forces completed their withdrawal in August 2021.