Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza: The total number of Palestinians killed due to famine and malnutrition has risen to 313, including 119 children
Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip: 10 people, including two children, have died of starvation in the past 24 hours
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in South Lebanon: US envoy Tom Barrack cancels his visit to Tyre and al-Khiam amid popular protests
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Lebanon: Israeli occupation forces carried out an explosion in the southern border town of Kfar Kila
Russian Ministry of Defense: 37 Ukrainian drones destroyed in 4 hours over regions of Russia and the Black Sea.
Sheikh Qassem: Our supporters make up more than half of Lebanon's population, and all of these people are united under the banner of protecting Lebanon, its Resistance, its people, and its integrity.
Sheikh Qassem: There will be no phased handing in of our arms. [The Israelis] must first enact the agreement before we start talking about a defensive strategy.
Sheikh Qassem: Be brave in the face of foreign pressures, and we will be by your side in this stance.
Sheikh Qassem: Stripping us of our arms is like stripping us of our very soul, and this will prompt us to show them our might.
Sheikh Qassem: We will not abandon our arms, for they gave us dignity; we will not abandon our arms, for they protect us against our enemy.

Afghanistan reacts to US sanctions with more cooperation with Iran

  • By Al Mayadeen Net
  • Source: Agencies
  • 1 Jan 2022 23:38
  • 1 Shares
4 Min Read

The catastrophic humanitarian reality in Afghanistan is pushing the Taliban government to deal with Iran in order to secure the needs of its citizens. In light of US sanctions, this has become the best option.

  • x
  • Iran and Afghanistan share a border nearly 600 miles long
    Iran and Afghanistan share a border nearly 600 miles long.

The withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan a few months ago is nothing more than a military withdrawal from the country, as the United States still maintains its grip on the country, controlling it as it pleases through the harsh sanctions it imposes.

98% of Afghans do not consume enough food

After the Taliban movement came to power following the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, international financial institutions stopped aid to the country, as Washington froze about $9.5 billion in assets of the Afghan Central Bank, which prevented millions of people across Afghanistan from accessing basic commodities they need in order to survive, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

According to the latest survey conducted by the World Food Program, 98% of Afghans do not consume enough food, which is an alarming increase of 17% since August. Furthermore, the United Nations indicates in this context that about 23 million people, or about 55% of the population, face extreme levels of hunger and that about 9 million are at risk of starvation as the winter gets colder. 

The organization also explained that "families are resorting to desperate measures as the bitter winter sets in; 9 in every 10 households are now buying less expensive food, 8 in 10 are eating less, and seven in ten are borrowing food to get by." The WFP stress that they need $220 million per month in 2022 to ramp up its operations and provide food and cash assistance to more than 23 million Afghans facing extreme hunger.

Related News

WFP chief: Difficult to deliver aid when Israelis point guns at us

WFP reviews BCG ties after Gaza aid role sparks outrage: FT

Afghan-Iranian cooperation in confronting the catastrophic humanitarian reality in Afghanistan

This catastrophic humanitarian reality seems to have prompted the Taliban government to deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran in order to secure the needs of its citizens. In light of the US and European sanctions on the two countries, there is no better option than rapprochement and resorting to each other. 

The Wall Street Journal reported in this regard that the two countries, which share a border of nearly 600 miles, seek "to put longstanding ideological and political differences aside as they seek to fill the vacuum left behind by American troops."

The newspaper added that the nature of the relationship between Afghanistan and Iran is manifested in Nimroz province, where "goods from potatoes to fertilizer and fuel [transport] through the desert from Iran to Afghanistan, their pickup trucks whipping up a trail of dust clouds.”

In turn, WSJ noted that from August to December, "Iran imported $45 million in goods through western Afghanistan, a 20% increase from the same period last year," adding that "The Afghan economy has shrunk by an estimated 40%, according to the United Nations."

WSJ continues, "On the streets of Zaranj, the capital of Nimroz, street vendors hawk Iranian spices and fruit covered in dust, and accept Iranian rials as payment." It added that street lamps that light up Zaranj, which resembles a spot of light in the middle of the dark desert, are powered by electricity flowing from the Iranian grid.

The newspaper also quoted a sales manager in one of the shops in the Afghan city of Herat as saying that he had replaced 60% to 65% of the brands that were Turkish or European with Iranian products, stressing that "we will 100% become more dependent on Iran if this situation continues."

  • A market in Herat in Afghani carries products imported from Iran (Source: WSJ)
    A market in Herat in Afghanistan carries products imported from Iran (WSJ)

Last November, Iran resumed oil and gas exports to Afghanistan, revealing at the same time that trade exchange between Iran on one side and Afghanistan and Pakistan on the other will witness a rise to $5 billion.

Contrary to most countries, Iran has remained in constant contact with the Taliban government in order to activate diplomatic efforts, as well as to strengthen economic and commercial relations, according to the newspaper.

  • WFP
  • The Wall Street Journal
  • Afghanistan
  • Taliban
  • United Nations

Most Read

Almost instantly after the Helsinki Accords were signed, organisations sprouted to document purported violations, whose findings were fed to overseas embassies for international amplification. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

How ‘Human Rights’ became a Western weapon

  • Opinion
  • 23 Aug 2025
Israeli soldiers stand on the top of armoured vehicles parked on an area near the Israeli-Gaza border, as seen from southern Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025 (AP)

Palestinian fighters target Israeli soldiers, vehicles in Gaza

  • Politics
  • 21 Aug 2025
Launch of a ballistic missile from Yemen toward the occupied Palestinian territories. (YAF military media)

Yemeni Forces announce firing hypersonic missile at Al-Lydd Airport

  • Politics
  • 22 Aug 2025
The ‘Arab Façade’ for Israeli occupation in Gaza

The ‘Arab Façade’ for Israeli occupation in Gaza

  • Opinion
  • 23 Aug 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
A scene showing an al-Qassam Brigades fighter during an ambush on July 7, 2025, in a video released by the al-Qassam Brigades on August 26, 2025 (al-Qassam Brigades Military Media)
Politics

Al-Qassam reveals Beit Hanoun ambush targeting Israeli forces

A Palestinian youth stands on a hill overlooking IsraelI Ofer Prison, near the West Bank city of Ramallah, Wednesday, July 3, 2024. (AP)
Politics

77 Palestinian prisoners killed in Israeli prisons since October 7

US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack speaks during a joint press conference with US deputy special envoy for Middle East peace Morgan Ortagus at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon, Tuesday, August 26, 2025 (AP)
Politics

US envoy Barrack calls Lebanese journalists 'animalistic"'

Tom Barrack's imperial tantrum in Beirut: When entitlement speaks (Photo by Mahdi Rtail)
Politics

Tom Barrack's imperial tantrum in Beirut: When entitlement speaks

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS