On January 30, 2020, the Afghan Institute for Strategic Studies (AISS) organized a roundtable discussion on “Assessing US-Iran Tensions and its Implication for Afghanistan". The purpose of this roundtable is to discuss recent tensions between the United States and Iran and its implications for Afghanistan.
The panel discussion was accompanied by Amb. Mahmoud Saikal, Former Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to United Nations, Prof. Barnett Rubin, Associate Director of New York University's Center on International Cooperation/Member of AISS Advisory, Dr. Arian Sharifi, former Director of Threats Assessment at National Security Council, with moderation by AISS Research Fellow, Naser Sidiqee.
Amb. Mahmoud Saikal spoke about the shared interests of the U.S. and Iran in Afghanistan. He said that both the U.S. and Iran have contributed in the fight against the Taliban insurgency, in addition to fighting against Illegal drug trade in Afghanistan. He added that Afghanistan is concerned about the recent escalation between the two countries, and the use of the Afghan soil in the competition between them.
Prof. Barnett Rubin spoke about the U.S. policy towards Afghanistan amid sanctions and its hostile relationship with Iran. He said that there is a lack of clarity in the U.S. policy towards Afghanistan. Many aspects of the U.S. policy, especially its policy towards Iran is not consistent with its policy towards Afghanistan. He added that other aspects of the U.S. relationship with Iran precedes its relationship with Iran regarding Afghanistan.
Dr. Arian Sharifi spoke about the recent US-Iran tensions. He said that the US-Iran tensions would not affect Afghanistan, given that 1) Afghanistan is an exception in U.S. policy towards Iran; 2) the interests of the U.S. and Iran are in parallel, not against each other; 3) Iran’s interests in Afghanistan – stability in Afghanistan, fighting against terrorism and war on illegal drug trade; 4) Iran is not looking for reinvigorating the Taliban’s Emirate. Dr. Sharifi said that a neutral and moderate Afghan policy towards both countries is for the benefit of Afghanistan.
At the end of the program, the speakers of the program engaged in Q&A session with the audience.