Compare and contrast the following two takes on Iran’s role in Afghanistan. (1) Richard Holbrooke:
“It is absolutely clear that Iran plays an important role in Afghanistan,” Holbrooke said on Tolo TV, a private Afghan television network. “They have a legitimate role to play in this region, as do all of Afghanistan’s neighbors.”
(2) General Petraeus’s comments this past weekend:
Iran is providing assistance to the Taliban in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus said at a conference in Doha, Qatar late last week. “There is a willingness to provide some degree of assistance to make the life of those who are trying to help the Afghan people difficult,” Petraeus said, according to Bloomberg. “It’s not in their interests to see the Taliban, a Sunni ultra-conservative, extremist element, return to take control of Afghanistan,” Petraeus said of Iran’s relationship with the Taliban. Nevertheless, Iran supports the Taliban on “a small level” and the U.S. is watching Iran’s behavior in Afghanistan “very, very closely.”
Petraeus downplayed the significance of Iran’s support for the Taliban. But previous statements by military officials in Afghanistan have not been so kind. It is clear that Iran is supplying IED’s and antiaircraft weapons to the Taliban, and providing safe haven for senior al Qaeda and Taliban officials – at a minimum. Yet, it appears that Holbrooke & Co. are attempting to portray Iran as a possible partner in Afghanistan.
