Iran-Taliban clash in the offing with Tehran using Afghanistan's Shiites as a card
Iranian-Afghan relations go through a very sensitive phase, especially after the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan.
Some people expect this takeover to
open the door for clashes between the two sides, despite their keenness so far
to put a lid on these potential clashes.
The Taliban and Iran are more
inclined to work together to serve their common interests in light of the tense
conditions the region is going through.
However, Tehran's latest condemnation
of the Taliban, against the background of the movement's onslaught on the
resistance in Panjshir city indicates that there may be a clash between the two
sides in the future.
Iran will likely move its army inside
Afghanistan to destabilize the country and create more obstacles in the way of
the emerging Taliban regime.
Afghan Shiites
Shiite communities inside Afghanistan
are viewed as a pressure card in the hands of Tehran against the Taliban.
These cards are believed to be the mechanism
that will be used by Tehran to pressure the movement.
In this, Iran will act as it does in
other countries where there are Shiites, including Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and
Yemen.
Iranian media referred in July to
the presence of a Shiite militant group in Afghanistan that is ready to counter
the Taliban.
The same group is stepping up its operations
against Afghan security forces, the Iranian media said.
The commander of Quds Force, a unit
of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corpse told the Iranian parliament recently
that his country attaches great importance to the Shiites of Afghanistan.
"We are keen to solve the
Afghan issue without war," the commander said.
A senior Iranian military official
was quoted by Iranian media as saying in the same session that Tehran would support
the Shiites of Afghanistan.
