An Account of Iran’s Economic Diplomacy Strategy in Post-Taliban Afghanistan

The present research elucidates Iran’s economic diplomacy strategy in post-Taliban Afghanistan. Employing a descriptive-analytic and applied (practical) methodology, the study draws its statistical population from experts and university professors specializing in international relations, geopolitics, and political science. With a sample size of 35 individuals determined using the Cochran formula, the findings were analyzed using SPSS software. The results reveal that Iran’s role in its eastern geopolitical region, particularly in Afghanistan, is shaped by various factors and variables at the domestic, regional, and trans-regional levels. Key factors contributing to Iran’s role in the region include domestic dynamics and the evolving geopolitics of Afghanistan in the post-Taliban era, Iran’s capacity to engage with these dynamics, the ethnic diversity in Afghanistan with Pashtuns dominating, and the influence of Iran's civilizational characteristics in Afghanistan. Iran’s economic diplomacy in Afghanistan, following the rise of the Taliban to power, has faced challenges in commodity trading, although efforts are underway to revive achievements made during the presence of foreign forces in Afghanistan. However, energy exports encounter fewer obstacles, while transportation poses significant complexity and uncertainty, albeit with prospects of continuing previous policies. The primary challenges include legal issues related to water conflicts, drug smuggling from Afghanistan into Iran, foreign intervention in Afghanistan's domestic affairs, and illegal immigration of Afghans into Iran. Conversely, opportunities for Iran-Afghanistan economic diplomacy post-Taliban include shared language, cultural exchanges, the importance of Islamic ideology, and Afghanistan’s sizable consumption market.