Afghanistan–Iran relations

Afghanistan-Iran relations

Afghanistan	Iran

Afghanistan–Iran relations were established in 1921, during the rule of King Amanullah Khan of Afghanistan and Ahmad Shah Qajar of Persia.

Historical context

Afghanistan shares a long and intertwined history with Iran. There are also deep ties in language, its people and culture. As an eastern dialect of Persian, Dari is the dominant language in Afghanistan, especially in terms of education and business. Despite such close ties, Afghanistan's relations with Iran have fluctuated in modern times, namely due to the control of the country by the Taliban government in the 1990s and with periodic disputes over the water rights of the Helmand River as the current main issue of contention.

Diplomatic relations

Pre-1979

Afghanistan signed a treaty of friendship with Iran in 1921, when the country was ruled by King Amanullah Khan and Iran was still under the Qajar dynasty. Prior to 1979, the year in which both Iran underwent the Iranian Revolution and Afghanistan was invaded by the Soviet Union, the issue of water rights of the Helmand River were a issue of great importance between the two nations. Disputes over the Helmand water are noted in the 1870s, flaring again after the river changed course in 1896. In 1939, the kings of the two countries signed an accord to share water rights, which was signed but never ratified; this was repeated in 1973 with a treaty between the prime ministers of both nations, and again not ratified.

Post-1979

Following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, which Iran opposed, relations deteriorated. The Iranian consulate in Herat closed, as did the Afghan consulate in Mashad. The Iranians complained of periodic border violations following the Soviet invasion. In 1985, they urged feuding Afghan Shi'a resistance groups to unite and oppose the Soviet-backed government of Afghanistan. Iran supported the cause of the Afghan resistance and provided limited financial and military assistance to rebel leaders who pledged loyalty to the Iranian Revolution. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), about 1 million Afghan refugees live in Iran.

Following the emergence of the Taliban and their harsh treatment of Afghanistan's minorities, Iran stepped up assistance to the Northern Alliance. Relations with the Taliban deteriorated further in 1998 after Taliban forces seized the Iranian consulate in Mazari Sharif and executed Iranian diplomats. Following this incident, Iran almost went to war with the Taliban but intervention by the United Nations Security Council and the United States prevented it.

Since late 2001, the new Afghan government under Hamid Karzai has engaged in cordial relations with both Iran and the United States, even as relations between the United States and Iran have grown strained due to American objections to Iran's nuclear program. Iran was a key factor in the overthrow of the Taliban and has since helped revive Afghanistan's economy and infrastructure. It re-opened the Iranian Embassy in Kabul and its associated consulates in other Afghan cities. In the meantime, Iran became engaged in the reconstruction of Afghanistan. Most of its contributions are aimed at developing the Afghan Shi'a communities, especially the ethnic Hazaras and Qizilbash. Iran also has strong influence on political parties represented by ethnic Tajiks, which includes Abdullah Abdullah's Coalition for Change and Hope and others. Afghanistan has an embassy in Tehran and a consulate in Mashad. As of 2007, Iran charges Afghans over $100 US dollars for a one month regular visa and a business visa costs them over $3,000 US dollars. Before 2007, the visa was issued with only $35 fee.

Afghan National Police stand alert outside of Iran's embassy in Kabul to avert any untoward incident as hundreds of people protested against the execution of Afghans in Iran.

Leaders in the United States and many NATO officials as well as some Afghan law makers believe that Iran is meddling in Afghanistan by playing a double game. Iran usually denies these accusations, and Afghan President Hamid Karzai has denied these accusations as well, calling Iran a helper. When asked about the flow of Iranian weapons into anti-Afghanistan Taliban militant groups, Karzai stated in 2007 that "there's no reason that any of our neighbors should support the Taliban... We don't have any such evidence so far... Iran and Afghanistan have never been as friendly as they are today." For a number of years many senior NATO officials have been accusing Iran of supplying and training the Taliban insurgents.

"We did interdict a shipment, without question the Revolutionary Guard's core Quds Force, through a known Taliban facilitator. Three of the individuals were killed... Iranians certainly view as making life more difficult for us if Afghanistan is unstable. We don't have that kind of relationship with the Iranians. That's why I am particularly troubled by the interception of weapons coming from Iran. But we know that it's more than weapons; it's money; it's also according to some reports, training at Iranian camps as well."

—General David Petraeus

Iran is strongly against the American military presence in Afghanistan. Iranian officials often criticize specifically the American military in Afghanistan despite that there are also around 50,000 European and other peace keeping troops.

"The Americans will have the same success in Afghanistan as in Vietnam. Years ago the Soviet Union made exactly the same mistake. Many people were killed and it finally pulled out. History repeats itself. We know Afghanistan. We know that Afghanistan will never submit to foreign armies."

—Ali Larijani, July 2010

Ties between Afghanistan and Iran became strained in recent years due to Iran's toughened immigration policy, hastening the repatriation of many Afghan asylum seekers. A number of Afghans were executed by hanging in the streets of Iran, which sparked angry demonstrations in Afghanistan. Between 2010 and 2011, Afghan and Iranian security forces were involved in border skirmish in Nimroz Province of Afghanistan. In July 2011, Iran decided to cut off electricity exports to Afghanistan's Nimroz Province.

Bilateral trade

Trade between the two nations has increased dramatically since the overthrow of the Taliban in 2001. Iran and Afghanistan plan on building a new rail line connecting Mashhad to Herat and eventually to Kabul. In 2009 Iran was the fourth largest investor in Afghanistan, which is mainly in the construction of roads and bridges as well as agriculture and health care.

According to the chairman of Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries Iran's exports to Afghanistan in 2008 stood at $800 million. IRNA quoted Mohammad Qorban Haqju as saying that Iran imported $4 million worth of products like fresh and dried fruits, minerals, precious stones, and spices from the neighboring country. He said that Iran exported oil products, cement, construction material, carpets, home appliances, and detergents. Iran imported nuts, carpets, agricultural products as well as handicrafts from Afghanistan. Afghanistan imports 90 percent of its needs, except agricultural products.

Afghanistan is a major opium producer, including hashish. Some of these drugs are smuggled into Iran and from there to other countries. On the positive side, the drugs were nearly wiped out in Afghanistan during the Taliban government in 2001. After the removal of the Taliban by the United States, Iran began to suffer from high drug use in the last decade.

See also

• Foreign relations of Afghanistan
• Foreign relations of Iran
• Afghans in Iran