Afghanistan: for Iran, the American "military failure", a chance for a lasting peace

Iranian President Ebrahim Raïssi on August 5, 2021 in Tehran.

AP - Vahid Salemi

Text by: RFI Follow

3 min

In a first reaction after the fall of Kabul, Iranian President Ebrahim Raissi welcomed the “

 military failure

 ” of the United States in Afghanistan and called for the establishment of peace and security in Afghanistan.

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With our correspondent in Tehran,

Siavosh Ghazi

Iranian President Ebrahim Raïssi said Monday August 16 that the " 

military defeat

 " and the

departure of the Americans

should turn into "an 

opportunity to establish peace and security in Afghanistan

 ."

He also called on Afghan groups to seek a political understanding to rule the country.

This is the first political position of the Iranian president after the

takeover of Kabul

by the Taliban.

Iran, which has always asked for the departure of American forces from Afghanistan but also from the entire region, does not hide its satisfaction.

Images and videos of US servicemen leaving Kabul airport in haste and chaos are widely reported in the media and on social media.

Tehran opts for a moderate stance against the Taliban

Iran has maintained its embassy in Kabul.

Obviously, Tehran has opted for a moderate position vis-à-vis the

Taliban,

who are extremist Sunnis, while the Iranian population is predominantly Shiite.

For two years, Iran has even caught up with the Taliban.

Delegations from the group have visited Tehran on several occasions.

The fact remains that the return of the Taliban to power could facilitate the installation of foreign extremist groups in Afghanistan, in particular groups close to al-Qaeda.

Which could constitute a danger to the security of Iran.

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  • Afghanistan

  • Iran

  • Ebrahim Raisi

  • Taliban

  • United States

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