Iran’s role in Afghanistan
A couple dozen people line up outside this building, a center named after Ayatollah Khoemeni who founded Iran, to collect donated food. the charity is funded with Iranian money. This Afghan widow is getting rice, beans, flour and occasionally blankets and appreciates the help. Many Afghans have mixed feelings towards Iran, because the country at first took in plenty of refugees from fighting over three decades but now many of those refugees have been forced to return. This former refugee says the Iranians are angry that Afghanistan is getting closer with the US. The relationship is more complex than that because of drugs, where Iran is on the route from Afghanistan to Europe, which brings insurgents from Afghanistan to Iran. But this analyst says that doesn’t mean Iran wants the Taliban to win, but they don’t want the government to win either, they just want to ensure there are no winners. Iran denies it supports the Taliban, but Iran is probably nervous about American troops in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Iran has clearly improved transit between the two countries. This Iranian manager says hundreds of new Afghans have been employed in transit improvements as well, and Iran hopes that will increase its influence in the country.
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