An Analysis of ISIS's Rise to Power in Afghanistan (2022) and Its Impact on the Security of the Islamic Republic of Iran

The purpose of this study is to investigate the reasons for the presence and rise of ISIS in Afghanistan; ISIS has been present in Afghanistan since 2015; And in 2021, after the US withdrew and the Taliban came to power in this country, it announced its strategy to oppose the Taliban and kill Shiites. Accordingly, in the light of internal insecurity in Afghanistan, they posed various security, political and geopolitical threats to Afghanistan and Iran.

 The present study uses descriptive-analytical method and Barry Buzan's theory of social security riddle to investigate the subject; the causes, goals and rise of ISIS in the wake of the insecurity crisis in Afghanistan and its impact on the security of the Islamic Republic of Iran are examined in this way.

 The political crisis and security challenge in Afghanistan originates from three cultural-social, economic-political and geopolitical levels. At the cultural-social level, the element and key of "tribe-centricity", the element of "poverty-unemployment" at the economic level, "internal power vacuum" at the political level and "competition of regional and extra-regional powers" at the geopolitical level are important. Internal violence between conflicting identities has not only hindered the formation of comprehensive civil authority, but has also provided space for foreign powers to intervene by supporting each of the conflicting identities, and this issue affects Iran's security.

Afghanistan's internal crisis has no military solution, and negotiations to balance the involved groups are the only viable solution to end the crisis. Otherwise, groups like ISIS have a very high potential and motivation to operate in Afghanistan. Of course, countries like Iran, whose security is affected by the security of Afghanistan, must work together to form an inclusive people's government.