The Taliban and the Future of Iran-Afghanistan Relations

Abstract

Notwithstanding its past sectarian and other differences with the Taliban, Iran, in the midst of deteriorating relations with the United States, particularly over the nuclear issue, was compelled to see the Islamist movement as a lesser evil than the continued presence of US troops in Afghanistan. Thus, Iran’s ties with sections of the Taliban had improved even before the group’s recent return to power. With ISIS being a common threat to both Tehran and the Taliban, a Taliban-ruled Afghanistan could potentially be a part of Iran’s extended “Axis of Resistance”.