A historically tense relationship.. Cautiousness and division in Tehran after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan

Tehran

- In light of the Taliban's control of Afghanistan, the movement's relationship with Iran has experienced many ups and downs.

During the Taliban’s rule over Afghanistan (1996-2001), the relationship between the two sides witnessed many differences between them, and the most prominent station in this relationship was the killing of dozens of Taliban fighters in 1998 in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif in northern Afghanistan at the hands of the (Northern Alliance) forces, of which Iran was one of its most prominent supporters.

The response of the Taliban forces was to launch a campaign against the city, whose residents are considered Hazaras (the majority of whom are Shiites), and to seize it, in addition to attacking the Iranian consulate there, in which 8 diplomats and an Iranian journalist were killed, and Iran was on the brink of war with the Taliban.

For these and other reasons, Iran tacitly supported in 2001 the US occupation of Afghanistan and the overthrow of the Taliban government. The head of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council at the time, Hossein Mousavian, stated that the cooperation took place within the framework of the common interests of Iran and the United States, which is the overthrow of the Taliban regime.

Official Iran commented cautiously on the Taliban's control of Afghanistan, and analysts are divided and everyone agrees to wait for the movement's (European) behavior

Orientation towards friendship

The relationship between Iran and the Taliban changed from time to time and turned towards friendship, and the seed of Iranian-American cooperation against the Taliban dried up after the former US President classified Iran within the axis of evil along with Iraq and North Korea, after his country’s occupation of Afghanistan.

The cooperation between Iran and the Taliban has also fueled the common hostility to the US-backed coalition forces that have occupied Afghanistan, and in recent years and months Tehran has hosted Taliban leaders and representatives of the Afghan government.

The Taliban also took a conciliatory tone towards Iran. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in an interview with the Iranian "ILNA" agency recently that the civil war and lack of experience prevented the movement from establishing good relations with its neighbors during its first period of rule in Afghanistan.

The approach of the Islamic Republic

With the Taliban taking control of Kabul and accepted by all the Afghan states, Iran appears cautious in its messages towards the Taliban, but the views of Iranian government officials and political groups regarding the Taliban take two directions.

An expert on Afghan affairs and the Indian subcontinent, Pir Muhammad Malazhi, believes that the first trend in Tehran - which includes part of the government and groups close to the conservatives - believes that the Taliban expelled the United States from Afghanistan because of its fighting and resistance against it, and it has positions almost similar to Iran's positions against global arrogance and we can deal with her.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid sent positive messages to the future of his movement's relationship with Iran (European)

ideological group

As for the second trend - represented by those close to the reformists, according to Malazhi - he believes that the Taliban is nothing but a Salafi ideological group and that it should not be dealt with in a way that enhances its monopoly on power in Afghanistan.

Those who hold this trend believe that a balanced force must be established in Afghanistan that is compatible with Iran's security, with the participation of different peoples such as the Hazara Shiites, Uzbeks, Persian speakers, and other nations and minorities.

Malazhi indicated - in his speech to Al-Jazeera Net - that the Taliban's relationship with Iran will depend on the future behavior of the Taliban, and whether the movement will respect the rights of the Shiite minority under the 2001 constitution, as well as Persian speakers.

In Malazhi's opinion, the developments and issues of Afghanistan will remain vital and important to Iran, both because of the common border between the two countries (about a thousand kilometers), as well as the cultural and historical commonalities and the wide relations with the Afghan people, as well as because of the presence of nearly 3 million Afghan refugees in Iran.

Iran's concerns

Jalil Rahimi Jahanabadi, a member of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, believes that Iran has a series of concerns about how the Taliban will rule Afghanistan.

In his opinion, these fears are manifested in several points: the first is that Afghanistan is considered a center for drug production in the world, and that one of the drug routes from it to Europe passes through Iran, as well as concerns about security and social damage, and therefore Tehran is waiting for the behavior of the Taliban on the ground.

The next issue - according to Abadi - is the issue of extremist and separatist groups operating in the border areas between the two countries, and there is an Iranian request to the Taliban not to support these groups.

Abadi adds - to Al Jazeera Net - that another part of Iran's interest in Afghanistan is respecting the rights of different religious races and cultures, and that any kind of lack of assimilation and religious, ethnic and cultural integration and disregard for the rights of these races will create tensions and challenges in the relations of the two parties.

Iran's concerns go beyond the political aspects of security concerns and the new Taliban style of rule for Afghanistan (Reuters)

state organization

Another part of Iran's concern - according to Abadi - is the growth of ISIS in the region. The organization is feeding on the weakness of the central government everywhere, thus harming security and sustainable development in the Middle East, and now we have concerns about the emergence of ISIS in Afghanistan.

The member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee in the Iranian parliament added that other issues of concern to us are the issues of the borders and rivers between the two countries, the existing agreements and other commitments between Tehran and the Government of Afghanistan and the extent of the Taliban's commitment to them.