says the Islamic Republic is not doing very much harmful to the United States in Afghanistan.
Lt. Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, who is both the commander of all US forces in Afghanistan and commander of the other allied troops serving in the country, was asked at a news conference last Thursday about Iran’s actions inside Afghanistan.
Scaparrotti was not very critical. “Actually, within Afghanistan, you see Iranian influence in terms of what I’d say is soft power. As you know, on the border near Herat, there has always been a relationship across the border. So, in some ways that’s productive. It is helping with some of the development out there. In other ways, it’s not productive—but it’s generally in a ‘soft’ manner,” soft meaning non-military.
“We have some indications of weaponry and supply that come from Iran,” he said, “but, at this point, those are relatively limited.”
Scaparrotti continued the view of his predecessors who have treated the Iranian economic intervention in Afghanistan as legal and permissible and the military supplies for the Taliban as so limited they appeared geared to give Iran political access to the Taliban rather than to help them become more combat capable.
