Four decades of conflict has made Afghanistan massively vulnerable to the spillover effects of any political dynamics at regional and global level. Continued war has deprived the country of ample opportunities for becoming economically self-reliant, a prerequisite for political independence. Being a theater of military showdowns of the global superpowers which has led to the nation’s overreliance on others, Afghanistan as the heart of Asia has been kept in a situation that makes it suffer from the fallouts of any major change in the region and the world. One new challenge for Afghanistan already beset with enormous problems is the escalating tensions between the United States and Iran. After the United States pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) by six nations: the US, UK, France, Germany, China and Russia, the Trump administration ramped up pressures on Tehran. Following the imposition of harsh economic sanctions, the United States now appears to be preparing for a military confrontation with Iran. In its latest move, Washington has sent Patriot missiles and warships to Middle East, with Iranian officials calling it American physiological war against Iran.
In response to the mounting tensions between the two states, Afghan government has said it would remain neutral in the US-Iran encounter. A spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said that both Washington and Tehran are Kabul’s close friends, and so it seeks to maintain friendly relations with both. According to him, Afghan government supports and encourages both states to resolve the ongoing tensions through dialogue.
In the US-Iran clash, neutrality is the best option for Afghanistan as the United States is Kabul’s major financial supporter and an ally in the war on terror, while Iran is a neighbor that continues to serve as home to millions of Afghan refugees. Although staying neutral is a good option, the question is whether or not Kabul can do so. Given the nature of its relationship with the US, it will not be easy for Afghanistan to maintain neutrality, but it is definitely not impossible. If Afghan government, through an active diplomacy, succeeds to convince the United States to accept the fact that Afghanistan needs to also maintain relations with Iran as a neighbor besides being an ally to the United States, Afghanistan can mostly be saved from the consequences of such a damaging confrontation. It should be communicated to Washington that it is Afghanistan’s compulsion to have good relations with Iran as its neighbor, and that Americans should realize it. The United States should at least not use Afghan territory directly against Iran, and this is possible as Americans have many other alternative spots to use in case of a possible encounter with Iran. The use of Afghan territory against Iran will have as grave concequences as it will be beyond the capacity of Afghans at least in the current situation to compensate.
