Decoding Iran’s Role In The Afghan Crisis
September 17, 2021
Iran’s approach towards Afghanistan is being watched the World over. Primarily, Iran has been critical of the US policy towards Afghanistan, holding it responsible for the instability in Afghanistan. Despite its growing proximity with China, Tehran has unequivocally spoken out against external interference in Afghanistan by other countries — including Pakistan. In recent years, especially after the launch of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Pakistan has moved much closer to China. This is also a result of its downward slope in ties with the west, especially the US.
Critical of Pakistan’s role
While criticizing the military offensive by the Taliban against military fighters in Panjshir, Tehran, which is home to 7,80,000 Afghan refugees, spoke strongly in favor of the Taliban adopting a more accommodating and reconciliatory approach vis-à-vis different groups. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh while condemning external interference in Afghanistan also alluded to Pakistan’s meddling in Afghanistan :
‘We would like to inform our friends, and those who might make the strategic error of entering Afghanistan with different intentions, that Afghanistan is not a country which accepts the enemy (or) the aggressor’
Khatibzadeh while referring to the role of Pakistan in the military action on Panjshir also stressed investigating foreign interference in the attack.
It would be pertinent to point out, that Iran has also been critical of the Taliban’s decision to not include any Shia or women in its cabinet.
Iran has also repeatedly spoken in favor of greater synergies between New Delhi and Tehran in Afghanistan. Current President Ebrahim Raisi pitched for greater India-Iran cooperation, during his meeting with India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar (who had gone to attend Raisi’s swearing-in ceremony) and also reiterated India’s importance in ensuring security in Afghanistan.
Former President Mahmoud Ahmadijenad too has advocated closer ties between India-Iran. Significantly in August, the former President had also said that Iran can benefit much more from its relationship with India, than with China. Said Ahmadijenad:
‘The potential of cooperation between Iran and India is far much more than what the capacity between Iran and China is’
Ahmadijenad known for his Anti-west stance has been critical of Iran’s approach towards China and was critical of the 25-year strategic cooperation pact signed between both countries in March 2021, arguing that it lacked transparency. The former Iranian President had remarked:
‘The Iranian nation will not recognize a new secret 25-year agreement between Iran and China’
Interestingly, the Deputy Foreign Minister, Mohammed MasoomStanekzai in the interim Taliban government also spoke in favor of closer links between India and Afghanistan (before taking over) and also highlighted the importance of the Chabahar Port Project in regional cooperation (the port referred to as India’s gateway to Afghanistan has also been dubbed as a symbol of India-Iran-Afghanistan cooperation)
While New Delhi has accorded priority to its relations with Iran in recent months, it must watch its interests and de-hyphenate its ties with Tehran from ties with Washington.
Both Islamabad and Beijing would be closely watching Tehran’s criticisms of Islamabad, and its support for a greater role for India in Afghanistan. Beijing itself has highlighted the importance of Iran in the context of Afghanistan. Foreign Minister Wang Yi in a conversation with his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian earlier this month stated that Iran and Afghanistan needed to work together to ensure stability in Afghanistan. According to a release by the Chinese Foreign Ministry Wang Yi is supposed to have said
‘As common neighbors of Afghanistan, China and Iran need to strengthen communication and coordination to play a constructive role in achieving a smooth transition and peaceful reconstruction of Afghanistan’
In conclusion, Iran’s role in Afghanistan is important due to its geographical proximity and the fact that it is home to a large number of Afghan refugees along with its foreign policy orientation. It has a good relationship with both China and India, and while its relations with Pakistan have witnessed an improvement in recent years, largely due to the deterioration in Pakistan- Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) ties, there have been tensions with Tehran blaming Pakistan for its support to Sunni group Jaish al Adl (Army of Justice) which was responsible for the killing of 27 Iranian Revolutionary guards (Iran warned of retaliatory action in case Pakistan failed to take action against Jaish Ul Adl). Iran’s Afghanistan policy is likely to be independent despite its increasing economic dependence upon China.
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