Iran’s Support For The Taliban Will Prove Short-Sighted

(New York, N.Y.) — In the two decades following the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, Iran worked against efforts to stabilize the country by playing a double game, supporting both the central government and those waging an insurgency against it, including its former foe, the Taliban. Although Iran’s long-term interest is a stable Afghanistan capable of preventing terrorism, drug crime, and refugees from spilling over its border, Iran shortsightedly prioritized expelling the U.S. above all, contributing to the Taliban’s resurgence.

Despite a long history of ideological enmity and brutal conflict with the Taliban, Iran opted to provide materiel support and training to the Taliban when it became expedient to harm the U.S. Beginning in 2006, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force (IRGC-QF) began “training the Taliban in Afghanistan on small unit tactics, small arms, explosives, and indirect fire weapons” in addition to providing armaments “including small arms and associated ammunition, rocket propelled grenades, mortar rounds, 107mm rockets, and plastic explosives.” Iran has also permitted the Taliban free movement of foreign fighters through Iranian territory to support its insurgency in Afghanistan.

After Tehran played arsonist in neighboring Afghanistan for years, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi pledged on Monday to back efforts to restore stability, characterizing the U.S. withdrawal and Taliban’s seizure of power from the democratically elected Afghan government as an opportunity to “restore life, security and durable peace.” His remarks were followed with confirmation that Iran’s diplomatic missions in Afghanistan would remain open, further signaling the Islamic Republic’s apparent willingness to work with the Taliban.

The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan–Iran’s core objective in Afghanistan–marks a major victory for Iran’s low-investment proxy warfare strategy.

To read United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI)’s Proxy Wars: Afghanistan resource, please click here.

To read UANI’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) resource, please click here.

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