چکیده:
Security is the main concern or raison d'être of any state. The Islamic republic of Iran and the west have had common geopolitical concerns، with some convergence in Afghanistan. The first security priority of the U.S. in particular and Europe in general after the September 11 events has been coping with terrorism in its heartland، i.e. Afghanistan. This paper، after a short review of Iran's historical relations with Afghanistan as well as its geopolitical importance for Tehran، examines Iran's main security concerns stemming from Afghanistan and the consequent Iranian narration of those threats in the post-9/11 era. The article argues that Iranian policy and even ideals for Afghanistan's long-term security is similar to the Iraqi model: outright withdrawal of foreign troops and national self-reliance on security issues. Therefore، Iran welcomes NATO's drawback from Afghanistan in 2014 and implicitly cooperates with the west in Afghanistan for viable and indigenous security.
خلاصه ماشینی:
This paper, after a short review of Iran’s historical relations with Afghanistan as well as its geopolitical importance for Tehran, examines Iran's main security concerns stemming from Afghanistan and the consequent Iranian narration of those threats in the post-9/11 era.
Keywords : Iran, Afghanistan, Security, the United States, Taliban, NATO This article is by-product of author's research fellowship in Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) in 2011.
S. politicians and military officials as well as some Afghani political elites believe that Iran is meddling negatively in Afghanistan by playing a double game in pretending to hold goodwill towards the Karzai government on the one hand and intangibly supporting Taliban on the other hand.
As an Iranian political scholar aptly put, Afghanistan is important for Iran from 4 geo- perspectives: geopolitics, geo-culture, geo-economics and geo-strategy (Haji-Yousefi, 2011: 1-4).
Meanwhile, Iran hopes that by developing the scope of Iranian influence in Afghanistan, the axis of a Persian civilization zone as a strategic axis would be realized (Pishgahi-Fard, & Rahimi, 2008: 101-102).
Many Iranians continue to view western Afghanistan as part of Iran’s historical Greater Khorasan region and it is viewed as a natural sphere of cultural, religious, and political influence for Tehran (Shojaee, 2008).
He also opined: "Iran believes that despite ten years of foreign military presence in Afghanistan, the security situation has deteriorated in the country" (Press TV, 2010).
" Iran-Afghanistan: water dispute over Hirmand or Helmand River", available at: http://www.
"Iran and the Future of Afghanistan", Council on Foreign Relations, available at: http://www.
"Iran, NATO: Afghanistan and the Potential for Cooperation", available at: http://www.