As was expected, the strategic agreement between Afghanistan and US was not welcomed warmly by Afghanistan's neighboring countries. Prior to the signing of the agreement, some of the countries had shown their concerns regarding the presence of US troops in Afghanistan after 2014. Now, that agreement has been signed and there has not been any clear remarks regarding the permanent US bases in Afghanistan and the number of US troops that would stay after 2014, the concerns seem to be getting serious. Iran, in particular, seems to have been annoyed much in this regard.
After the agreement, Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Ramin Mehmanparast, vehemently criticized agreement. He said, "Ambiguity about US military bases in Afghanistan and lack of transparency regarding the military role of US forces in the future have raised Iran's and other countries' concerns… Iran believes that peace and stability in Afghanistan is possible with a complete withdrawal of ISAF troops, closure of any foreign military base in Afghanistan, and the start of Afghan-led peace negotiations… This agreement will not help stabilize Afghanistan but as the last decade shows, it could promote instability."
Iran has been considered a traditional rival to US. It has always considered the presence of US troops in Afghanistan as imperialistic and has kept on emphasizing their immediate withdrawal. In fact, the basic and the only conflict between Iran and US is not the one mentioned here. Since the Islamic Revolution in Iran, the relations between the two countries have kept on experiencing fluctuations; mostly moving from bad to worse and, on certain occasions, even to worst. Currently, there is a conflict going on between the two countries regarding the nuclear program of Iran, which Iran claims to be peaceful, while US insists that it is turning to get lethal for the other countries of the world.
Iran has never thought that US's presence could really bring any positive change in Afghanistan. It even considers that the incident of 9/11 was a machination by US to extend its imperialistic intentions. The presence of US in Afghanistan, Iran believes, has never been to develop Afghan society; it is, rather, a design to establish military bases to have a check on the South Asian countries and to a certain extent on Middle East.
However, the presence of US for Afghanistan has proved to be a mixed blessing.
Taliban had, in fact, subjugated the Afghan society to the extent that it had started to suffocate. The presence of US in Afghanistan, at least, gave a hope for new beginning. Today, many in Afghanistan believe that they are having a better society – if not perfectly stable. Moreover, currently the role of US in Afghanistan and the withdrawal of its forces are the matters of great concern for Afghanistan and will decide its future; therefore, Afghan-US strategic agreement has been considered pivotal for Afghanistan by Afghan authorities.
The clash of interests between Iran and Afghanistan in relation with the Afghan-US strategic agreement has, in fact, given rise to ongoing tussle between the two countries. After Iran showed their concerns regarding the pact, Afghanistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded immediately. The spokesperson for the Ministry, Janan Mosazai in a press conference said, "We have always assured neighboring countries, particularly Iran, that we will not tolerate any kind of threat from our soil against them…
We expect other countries not to allow their soil to be used against Afghanistan." Afghan President Hamid Karzai, after the agreement, had said, "There is no threat from Afghanistan soil to our neighbors." On the other hand, US ambassador to Afghanistan, Ryan Crocker had also assured, "Our commitments are to Afghanistan in that agreement. This is not an agreement with the neighboring countries, as you know the provisions in the partnership agree that the United States will not have permanent bases in Afghanistan and similarly that we will not launch offensive action against other states from Afghan soil." However, these assurances could not prove sufficient for Iran and Iran's ambassador Abul Fazl Zohrehvand, allegedly, asked Afghanistan's Upper House of Parliament to reject the deal.
This demand infuriated the Afghan lawmakers and certain Afghan media outlets to a great extent and they started calling it an interference in the affairs of the country. Afghanistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Iranian envoy to discuss his remarks on the pact and made it clear that such statements could be considered as interference in the internal affairs of the country.
On the very next day, US emphasized that Iran must play a constructive role in neighboring Afghanistan. State Department spokesperson Mark Toner said, "We've said in the past and continue to say that Iran needs to play a more constructive role in the region… All of Afghanistan's neighbors need to play constructive roles in stabilizing and in creating a more prosperous and stable Afghanistan… It's in everyone's interest to do so. It's a win-win, frankly, for the region. So we would just, as we've done in the past, urge Iran to play a constructive role."
Responding to the steps taken by Afghan authorities, the foreign ministry in Tehran, on Thurday, May 10, 2012, summoned Afghanistan's charge d'affaires to protest over "misinterpreted" information by certain Afghan media outlets regarding Iran's opinion on the Afghan-US agreement.
The Iranian diplomat in charge of Afghan Affairs, Mohsen Paakaeen, once again insisted, "Iranian officials have repeatedly voiced their concerns to Afghan officials … over US security threats in the region, particularly continuation of US military base in Afghanistan." But an important statement is given by Iranian ambassador, Zohrehvand, recently, "In our view, the consequences of this agreement are not restricted to Afghanistan and will have regional and trans-regional impacts … We have asked Afghan officials to reconsider it (deal) more carefully…Afghans should take our concerns into consideration and make its decisions while considering the Afghan people's interests and the security considerations of regional countries." Iran has every right to think about the agreement in its own way and it has the right to mention its concerns as well, but it does not have the right to try to influence the Afghan decisions in some way or the other.