Khamenei: The U.S. and Some Regional Countries Oppose Cooperation Between Iran and Afghanistan

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, stated during a meeting with Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani that "the Americans and some regional countries do not recognize Afghanistan's capacities and are not in favor of the solidarity and cooperation between the two countries." He added, "However, Iran considers the security and progress of its neighbor Afghanistan as its own security and progress." The government in Kabul is considered an ally of Washington. The U.S. Department of Defense has criticized Tehran and Islamabad for contributing to instability in Afghanistan. Iran denies any interference in Afghanistan's affairs. In this meeting with the Afghan president, Khamenei emphasized the "will to strengthen cooperation" and stated that issues between the two countries, such as migrants, water, transportation, and security, are all solvable. This meeting took place on Sunday evening, April 30, following the Afghan president's visit to Iran. Previously, the presidents of the two countries had separately discussed the necessity of "operational" cooperation between Tehran and Kabul to combat issues such as "terrorism, violence, and extremism" or to fight against forces known as the "Islamic State." According to the Islamic Republic's leader's information website, during the meeting, Khamenei spoke about the "necessity of resolving the migrant issue." He noted, "Referring to the education of hundreds of thousands of Afghan migrants at various educational levels in Iran," he said, "The people of Afghanistan are very talented and intelligent, and this talent in acquiring knowledge must be properly utilized, as educated Afghans are needed for the reconstruction of your country." In December of last year, an Afghan government official stated that Iranian officials had promised to facilitate the education of Afghan residents in Iran in fields such as "aerospace" and "mining engineering." At that time, it was reported that of the two million Afghan citizens residing in Iran, half lack legal documentation. Meanwhile, Iranian officials have, in some cases, banned the presence of Afghan nationals in certain provinces or taken actions to do so, which has faced criticism from some cultural and social figures within Iran. Additionally, the Iranian government announced in July that employment of foreign nationals in governmental and non-governmental public institutions in Iran was prohibited. In news released by official sources within Iran, the leader of the Islamic Republic told the Afghan president that "Tehran is the home of Afghan brothers." The Afghan president also emphasized the need for a "joint fight against drugs."