The recent-days visit of Afghanistan’s CEO Abdullah Abdullah to Iran has come particularly under spotlight as its timing was coincided with or came after some important political developments in the region: the renewed efforts for resumption of peace talks, Indian PM’s visit to Afghanistan and the rising tensions between Saudi Arabia – along with some other Arab nations – and Iran. According official statement from the Afghan government, the country’s Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah visited Iran to talk with the Iranian officials for further expansion of bilateral relations including improvement of ties in political, economic and trade and cultural areas. According to the officials, he will talk over a range of issues including security, fighting drug trafficking, expansion of economic and trade cooperation and cultural relations between the two countries. The issue of the Afghan refugees in Iran was also included in the agenda of the CEO in his visit to Tehran.

CEO Abdullah’s visit to Iran came at a time when the Afghan government is stepping up its efforts to kick-start the peace process, and a meeting is set to be held in Islamabad with representatives from Pakistan, China and the United States. Iran is believed to be one of the key stakeholders of the war and peace efforts in Afghanistan. Iran has had friendly relations with the Afghan government since the fall of the Taliban regime and the country has been one of the important regional donors of the Afghan government. Tehran is one of the countries, having interests in the efforts for resumption of peace talks with the Taliban. The Afghan government is set to participate in a four-way talks with representatives from China, the United States and Pakistan as the main mentor of the current round of peace efforts. Iran officially backs the talks of the Afghan government with the Taliban, but has always been concerned with how the process would end the conflict in the neighboring Afghanistan and what results will it produce. Iran’s wants to be consulted in the process as a key regional player.

Afghanistan has always tried to ease Iran’s concerns over the developments related to the war and peace efforts including the long-term presence of the foreign troops in the country and the peace talks with the Taliban. While this round of peace efforts is being considered, Afghanistan expects Iran to support efforts for peace in Afghanistan. On the other hand, there were allegations of Iran having relationships with the Afghan Taliban. The national unity government had officially bemoaned in the past of Iran’s alleged relations with the Taliban, and protested to a visit of a Taliban delegation to Tehran last year. Given the complicacies of Iran’s relations with the Taliban and the Afghan governments, Pakistan and the US, Iran’s support for the peace talks is important for  Afghanistan. And the Afghan government wants to consult with Tehran and expect to be assured of the country’s support in the process.

On the hand, the national unity government brought a considerable shift since it came to power in foreign policy and the relations with the major powers of Muslim world. In an attempt to gain support of the major Muslim countries to the Afghan peace efforts, the Afghan government did an apparent sway to Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, which meant distancing the country from Iran. Now Iran and Saudi Arabia are in a loggerhead over the recent execution of a Shia cleric and the storming of Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Tehran. Many Arab countries have followed Saudi’s lead in cutting diplomatic ties with Iran. The rapid developments are coming as an unexpected challenge for the Afghan government’s revised foreign policy, or the pivot to Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. President Ghani’s expressed support to the Saudi’s stance in the Yemen conflict draw criticisms from many in Afghanistan.

Though the Afghan officials have maintained that there were no relations between Abdullah’s trip to Tehran and the increasing tensions between the two rival Muslim powers, the Afghan government’s Muslim world policy seems to be in a fresh trouble. The Afghan government needs to maintain cordial relations with the neighboring countries as well as the major regional Muslim countries who have influences over the trends of developments in Afghanistan. During his visit to Tehran, Abdullah must have tried to assure Iran of Afghanistan’s policy of impartiality over the tensions between Iran and the Arab world. It has now developed to a full dilemma for Afghanistan on how to maintain its revised policy of the strategic pivot to Saudi Arabia and Pakistan while tensions led by Iran and Saudi Arabia are growing in the Muslim world.

Expectedly, after Afghanistan started swinging towards Saudi Arabia and Kabul announced support for the Saudi Arabia’s stance in the Yemen conflict, media reports emerged over Iran’s alleged relations with the Taliban. On the other hand, the failure of President Ghani’s overtures to Pakistan last year propelled the Afghan government to reconsider balancing its relations with the major blocks of the Muslim world namely Saudi Arabia and Pakistan on one side and Iran on other side. Abdullah’s visit to Tehran and Afghanistan’s efforts to improve relations with Iran as well as the emergence of the unexpected tensions between two major Muslim rival powers could be meant the end of Afghanistan’s swing towards Saudi Arabia, and an urgency for Afghanistan to seek a balanced relations with the major Muslim powers.  Regarding politics of economy and trade, the government of Afghanistan is stepping up the efforts to improve economic ties with India and decrease its reliance on road connectivity through Pakistan. Abdullah’s visit to Chabahar port of Iran is said to be a major part of his visit to Iran. His visit of the Chabahar port of Iran is a follow-up to the Indian Prime Minister’s recent visit to Afghanistan. Afghanistan and India aim to develop Chabahar port to expand trade links among India, Afghanistan and the Central Asia, and also to bypass Pakistan’s Karachi port as Pakistan is accused by Afghanistan of using the port for exerting political pressures on Afghanistan.