TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani praised his Afghan counterpart for announcing a temporary ceasefire in the war on armed militants in the holy month of Ramadan. In a meeting with his Afghan counterpart in China on Saturday, President Rouhani hailed Ashraf Ghani’s initiative for ceasefire, expressing the hope that internal dialogue in Afghanistan
Al-Monitor: The rise of the Islamic State’s branch in Afghanistan poses a new challenge for the Islamic Republic, as it is becoming a magnet for Iranian Kurdish recruit. As President Donald Trump’s anti-Iran rhetoric intensifies, there are now fears that the United States and other governments hostile toward the Islamic Republic may use Iraqi Kurdistan
The National Interest: Some South Asia observers have argued that the Trump administration’s decision to exit the Iran nuclear deal will hurt U.S. efforts to stabilize Afghanistan. Their reasoning: it reduces the viability of the Iranian port of Chabahar, which India aims to use as an alternate gateway to Afghanistan, bypassing the land corridor through Pakistan.
Forbes: Afghanistan’s economy is small and it is only the 145th largest exporter in the world. However, Iran plays a central role as the largest source of Afghan imports and the third largest destination for its exports, according to the World Bank. The importance of trade via Iran has been rising and was set to be
Tehran Times: In an interview with Ariana Television Network, Mohammadreza Bahrami said that Iran and Afghanistan have “common threats and interests”. Iran seeks “long lasting and comprehensive” relations with Afghanistan, Bahrami noted. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News: Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ACCI) said the trade volume between Afghanistan and Iran is increasing, but US sanctions on Tehran will affect trade relations between the two neighboring countries. Iran is the biggest trade partner of Afghanistan, CEO of ACCI Atiqullah Nusrat said, adding that Afghan traders are interested in increasing
Ariana: Amid reports of Tehran’s involvement in deteriorating security in western Farah province of Afghanistan, the Iran ambassador in Kabul says his country has no links with the Taliban but have contacts to bring the group to the negotiation table. Click here to read more (external link).
Mohammad Habibzada VOA News May 17, 2018 WASHINGTON — Afghanistan’s western Farah province has been the scene of fierce fighting between the Taliban and the Afghan government in recent days. Afghan officials blame Iran for the unrest. Gen. Fazl Ahmad Shirzad, provincial police chief of western Farah province, told reporters on Wednesday that Iran is supporting
Tolo News: He blamed Iran for fueling ethnic rift in Afghanistan and said Iran helps “the infiltration of Daesh into Afghanistan”. “Daesh cannot come from Iraq or Russia. It has only one way which is Iran. They can only enter Afghanistan through Iran,” he added. According to him, there are three factions of Daesh operating in Afghanistan: