Nooruddin Azizi, the Taliban’s minister of commerce and industry, arrived in Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan province on Saturday, leading a high-level economic delegation in a visit seen as part of a broader push to deepen economic ties with Iran amid growing tensions with neighboring Pakistan, Iranian media reported.
Azizi entered the country via the Milak Border Terminal and was welcomed by General Mansour Bijar, the governor of Sistan and Baluchestan, a province that shares a long border with Afghanistan. The visit includes a tour of regional economic infrastructure and participation in the Iran-Afghanistan Joint Economic Commission meeting.
In remarks during the reception, Bijar emphasized the importance of strengthening economic, cultural, and infrastructural ties between the two sides, calling Sistan and Baluchestan a strategic gateway for Afghanistan’s trade. He highlighted the potential of the province’s human and natural resources to serve as a foundation for sustainable bilateral cooperation.
“Expanding relations between Iran and Afghanistan can contribute to regional development and long-term security,” Bijar said. He also noted the shared cultural, linguistic, and religious ties between the two nations, calling for increased trade exchanges and investment.
The visit comes at a critical moment in the Taliban’s regional diplomacy. Just days earlier, Taliban officials in Kabul announced plans to significantly reduce trade with Pakistan, citing repeated border closures, political tensions, and what they described as Pakistan’s use of trade as a coercive tool.
In a rare move, the Taliban’s deputy chief minister, Abdul Ghani Baradar, instructed Afghan pharmaceutical importers to stop sourcing medicines from Pakistan within three months, framing the decision as part of a broader shift toward alternative trade routes through Iran, Central Asia, and potentially India.
The Taliban’s tightening trade policy comes as relations between Taliban and Islamabad have deteriorated sharply in recent months. Pakistani officials have accused Taliban of harboring militants responsible for attacks inside Pakistan, including recent suicide bombings in Islamabad and Wana. In response, Pakistan has escalated mass deportations of undocumented Afghan migrants, further straining ties.
