An Iranian politician has claimed that the United States could seek to return militarily to Afghanistan following recent developments in the Middle East, arguing that Washington may consider shifting part of its forces from Gulf bases to Afghanistan as part of a broader regional strategy.
Hossein Kanani Moghaddam, secretary-general of Iran’s Green Party, made the remarks in an interview with Iranian media outlet IRAF on Tuesday, saying one possible scenario under discussion in Washington could be the re-establishment of a U.S. military presence in Afghanistan.
According to Kanani Moghaddam, Afghanistan remains strategically important for the United States because of its geographic position between Central Asia, China and Iran. He argued that a renewed U.S. presence could be aimed at limiting the expansion of China’s Belt and Road Initiative toward western Asia and creating pressure on growing cooperation between Beijing and Tehran.
He also claimed that U.S. policymakers may view Afghanistan as a platform for pursuing broader strategic objectives in the region and regaining influence lost after the withdrawal of American troops in 2021.
The United States ended its 20-year military mission in Afghanistan in August 2021, when the Taliban returned to power following the collapse of the former Afghanistan government. Since then, Washington has maintained no military presence inside Afghanistan.
Kanani Moghaddam did not provide evidence to support his claim, and U.S. officials have not announced any plans to redeploy troops to Afghanistan. Washington has repeatedly said it relies on “over-the-horizon” counterterrorism capabilities rather than a permanent military presence in the country.
