Interviewer: Lotfullah Najafizada
Affiliation: Journalist and Director of TOLO news
Organization/Publisher: TOLO News
Date/Place: December 2020/Kabul, Afghanistan
Type of Literature: Interview
Video length: 51 minutes
Link: https://tolonews.com/must-see-vidoes-168680
Keywords: Iran, Peace Deal, Security, U.S., Afghanistan, Taliban
Brief:
This interview provides firsthand information on the Afghan-Iran, and Iran-Taliban ties in the shadow of Afghan-US relations. The theme of this discussion is based on Iran’s foreign policies towards Afghanistan. As one of the 2001 Bonn Agreement’s key actors, Iran’s foreign minister Javad Zarif underlines that Afghanistan is occupied by the US and dismisses the argument that Iran had supported the US presence in Afghanistan. Moreover, Iran is seeking lawful withdrawal of foreign troops from the country. He claims that Iran’s foreign policy towards Afghanistan is not based on individuals as himself or Qasim Soleimani, the former commander of Quds corps who was assassinated by the US. Zarif explains that Iran doesn’t have a clear image of US’ intentions in Afghanistan and that it does not support the US’ unilateral peace agreement with Taliban, but instead supports a comprehensive intra-Afghan peace negotiation. Iran defines Taliban based on international norms and national law. Hence, they are defined as terrorist groups that have committed terrorist acts. However, the Taliban is a reality that is part of the solution in Afghanistan—but not the only solution. To address the killings of eight Iranian diplomats by the Taliban back in 1998 in Mazar-e-Sharif, Zarif says that the Iranian government did not initiate retaliation against the Taliban based on the calculation that it would not only harm the Taliban but the Afghan people as well. Iran is in close contact with Taliban leadership based on political necessities, and will not accept any political settlement in Afghanistan in which Iran would be sidelined. Zarif explains that any unilateral agreement between the US and the Taliban is harmful to both Iran and Afghanistan, and how the Trump administration turned this deal into an electoral campaign. Iran has supported and will continue to support any group or individual who is keen to fight against Daesh and extremism in Syria, Iraq, or Afghanistan. The Fatemiyoun (lit. Fatimid Banner) who are Afghan Shia militia (i.e. Iranian proxy) have a good experience of fighting against terrorism, and the Afghan government can benefit from them. The foreign minister gives abstract info about the JCPOA and the relationship between Israel and Bahrain and other neighboring countries. He believes that the Zionist project is a national security threat for Iran and to the neighboring countries.
By: Abdullah Jurat, CIGA Senior Research Associate
