TEHRAN — An Iranian Foreign Ministry official said on Sunday that despite the increased tensions in Afghanistan, trade between Iran and Afghanistan has not been interrupted.

In his remarks on Sunday, Rasoul Mohajer, the deputy foreign minister for economic diplomacy, stated that recent events in Afghanistan have no impact on economic interactions with the neighboring country.

“Despite the tension in Afghanistan, all (Iranian) ministries have been encouraged to continue to interact in accordance with the policy. At least until today, the economic relationship between Iran and Afghanistan has not changed, and cross-border exchanges are ongoing,” he added.

The deputy minister pointed out that the value of trade between the two countries is more than $3 billion and said due to the popularity of Iranian goods in Afghanistan and the unique opportunities in the market, the trade has been stable.

Iran’s trade with Afghanistan is almost entirely handled by the private sector, Mohajer added.

The security situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated in recent weeks as the Taliban is capturing more districts in the Central Asian country.

The Kabul government has launched a “national mobilization” in response, arming local volunteers and resurrecting militia organizations to fight the Taliban.

Iranian officials argued that the Afghan crisis needs to be resolved through negotiations with the inclusion of all Afghan groups without any foreign interference.

Iran has been trying hard to broker peace between the two warring parties.

“We assure the government and people of Afghanistan that the Islamic Republic of Iran has always stood by them and will continue to do so, and we call on all ethnic groups and political forces in Afghanistan to unite and reject any foreign interference, and commit to peaceful solutions to settle their disputes,” Ali Rabiei, the Iranian government spokesman, said on June 29.
SA/PA