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Iran's Policy Towards Afghanistan, Mohsen M. Milani
Iran's Policy Towards Afghanistan, Mohsen M. Milani
Mohsen M. Milani
Since 1979, Iran's objectives in Afghanistan have changed as Afghanistan's domestic landscape changed. Still, Iran has consistently sought to see a stable and independent Afghanistan,with Herat as a buffer zone and with a Tehran friendly government in Kabul,a government that reflects the rich ethnic diversity of the country. Toward those and other goals, Iran has created "spheres of influence" inside Afghanistan. During the Soviet occupation (1979-88), Iran created an "ideological sphere of influence" by empowering the Shi'ites. Iran then created a "political sphere of influence" by unifying the Dari/Persian-speaking minorities, who ascended to power. Iranian policies added fuel to the …