The Afghan Taliban and the Iranian regime were once hostile enemies. However, this all changed after the US took action after the 9/11 terrorist attack and the enemies started to cooperate.
This is similar to the situation in Iraq in 2003 – Iran did not mind the US invasion, but it proceeded to drain its resources once the US succeeded in toppling Saddam Hussein’s regime. This is when Iran effectively took control. Iraq was handed to Iran on a plate.
Afghan forces were stunned by a surprise attack by the Taliban that saw it seize the western part of Farah after a three-week long siege that ended after US intervention. The Taliban continued to assert itself across the country and Iran moved into the vacuum that was left as US forces quit the country.
The war in Afghanistan has claimed more than 150,000 lives and has cost the US around half a trillion dollars. As the US prepares to fully withdraw, other regional powers are becoming more present, namely Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, as well as Iran which has a presence in numerous countries in the Middle East.
The Iranian regime has been faced with crisis after crisis and its days are numbered. It is the regime’s desperation that is making it attempt to gain control everywhere. At home, the Iranian people are becoming more and more outspoken about their contempt for the regime, and they are putting so much pressure on the leaders of the country to be held accountable for their crimes.
Iran does not want stability in Afghanistan, it wants chaos. It is for this reason that it is supplying the Taliban with substantial funds as well as weapons and training and it has been recruiting Afghan Sunnis that took refuge in Iran.
In fact, the Iranian regime’s influence is so large in Afghanistan that intelligence indicates that the Iranian Taliban is the most powerful. But this will not last. The US is making great efforts to curb Iran’s belligerence in the region and recent sanctions should start to show efficacity soon.
Iran’s situation is desperate and it is clear for the world to see. In its desperation, it is using a once fierce enemy to further its agenda and to help it in its struggle with power. Its terrorist activities will be its downfall and the regime will come crumbling down.
