In recent days, political and media voices in Iran have increasingly warned about the policies of the Taliban government and the repercussions of developments in Afghanistan on regional security, going so far as to raise concerns about the possibility of the United States returning to the country and exploiting its geographic location to pressure Iran, China, and Russia.<\/p>\n
The newspaper Jomhouri Eslami<\/em> published an article titled \u201cThe Cost of Five Years of Trusting the Taliban,\u201d in which it considered that Iran and Russia had made a mistake in recent years by treating the Taliban government as a factor of stability, noting that the two countries had fallen into what it described as the \u201cTaliban\u2019s soft intelligence game.\u201d<\/p>\n The article cited the escalation of clashes and attacks inside Afghanistan, along with growing Russian fears that instability could spread to Central Asia, warning of the possibility that Washington could seek to open a new front of pressure against its adversaries through Afghan territory, particularly amid the ongoing conflict between Russia and the United States over Ukraine and the direct confrontation between Iran and Washington.<\/p>\n The newspaper argued that the continuation of instability in Afghanistan serves U.S. interests, while considering that the invitation of figures from the \u201cNational Resistance Front\u201d to events in Iran could represent an indication that Tehran has begun reviewing its policy toward the Taliban.<\/p>\n The criticism by Jomhouri Eslami<\/em> was not limited to the Taliban government, but also extended to figures it considered representatives of a current favoring engagement with the movement within decision-making circles in Iran and Russia, calling for this current to be removed from managing the Afghan file.<\/p>\n The newspaper stated that the \u201cfirst step\u201d toward achieving regional stability for Iran and Russia is to remove \u201cSeyed Hassan Mortazavi\u201d and \u201cZamir Kabulov\u201d from the Afghan file.<\/p>\n \u201cMortazavi\u201d serves as Iran\u2019s deputy ambassador in Kabul and is also considered one of the founders of the Fatemiyoun militia affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is composed of Afghan fighters, while Kabulov serves as the Russian president\u2019s special envoy for Afghanistan and was among the most prominent figures who pushed toward expanding Moscow\u2019s engagement with the Taliban.<\/p>\n The article considered that Iran and Russia\u2019s support for a policy of openness toward the Taliban over the past five years contributed to weakening Afghan forces that could have been relied upon to establish a political and security balance in confronting the movement, warning that the two countries may now face a \u201cheavy cost\u201d if they decide to change this approach.<\/p>\n In a separate statement, Iranian Green Party Secretary-General \u201cHossein Kanaani Moghaddam\u201d said that the Taliban\u2019s policies are not accepted by the countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, warning that the continuation of the current situation could deepen the Afghan crisis, increase migration rates, and spread insecurity to Iran, Pakistan, and Central Asia, reaching as far as China.<\/p>\n \u201cKanaani Moghaddam\u201d explained that Afghanistan could in the future obtain observer status in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization if suitable conditions are met, but stressed that the Taliban has not yet obtained an official status in the international system and that its current policies and measures are not accepted by members of the organization.<\/p>\n \u201cKanaani Moghaddam\u201d went further, saying that the United States may seek, in light of recent regional developments, to return to Afghanistan, pointing out that one possible scenario for Washington would be the \u201creoccupation of Afghanistan\u201d and the transfer of part of its forces deployed in the region to Afghan territory.<\/p>\n He argued that the geographic location of Afghanistan could be used by the United States to obstruct China\u2019s expansion and the \u201cBelt and Road\u201d initiative toward the west, in addition to creating obstacles to Chinese-Iranian relations. He also spoke of the possibility of reorganizing armed groups inside Afghanistan and using them as a tool to pressure countries in the region.<\/p>\n These Iranian warnings come following a series of statements made by the Taliban government\u2019s Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, in recent weeks, during which he demonstrated notable openness toward the United States.<\/p>\n In an interview with The New York Times<\/em> last August, \u201cMuttaqi\u201d called on Washington to reopen its embassy in Kabul and resume its diplomatic presence, stressing that U.S. companies could invest in the minerals, dams, and roads sectors.<\/p>\n He later returned, in an interview with the Financial Times<\/em>, to announce that the Taliban government welcomed U.S. investments in mining, infrastructure, agriculture, and trade, while Washington was calling for sanctions imposed on Afghanistan to be eased and for access to frozen Afghan assets to be granted.<\/p>\n The idea of using Afghanistan\u2019s mineral wealth to open channels of understanding with Washington was not new, as sources for Al Arabiya.net<\/em> and Al Hadath.net<\/em> revealed in July 2025 that the Taliban government had been discussing presenting U.S. President \u201cDonald Trump\u201d with an offer involving a deal in the minerals sector, similar to his interest at the time in Ukraine\u2019s mineral wealth. The offer was among the options the Taliban discussed with Washington in exchange for recognition of its government, rather than responding to \u201cTrump\u2019s\u201d demands concerning Bagram Air Base and U.S. weapons.<\/p>\n The sources indicated at the time that the Taliban viewed Afghanistan\u2019s mineral wealth as a card that could be used to attract the attention of the \u201cTrump\u201d administration.<\/p>\n More than a year later, this approach emerged more clearly with \u201cAmir Khan Muttaqi\u201d announcing the Taliban government\u2019s readiness to receive U.S. investments in mining, infrastructure, and other sectors.<\/p>\n Although the warnings issued by Iranian voices do not represent the government\u2019s official position, they reflect the growing debate inside Iran over the future of its relationship with the Taliban, coinciding with the movement\u2019s efforts to expand its contacts with the United States, five years after its return to power.<\/p>\n United News Network \u2013 UNN Arabic<\/strong><\/p>\n An independent media platform that provides reliable news and objective analysis, and seeks to promote peace and cultural dialogue around the world, convey the truth, and build bridges of understanding among peoples.<\/p>\nCriticism of a Current Favoring Engagement with the Taliban<\/h2>\n
Fears of \u201cReoccupying\u201d Afghanistan<\/h2>\n