Iran Blamed for Afghan Attacks After Trump Scraps Nuclear Deal
- Afghan officials point to Iran’s hand in Taliban city assualt
- Taliban have increased attacks after offer for peace talks
Afghan security forces patrol, after recapturing control of the city from Taliban militants, in Farah, Afghanistan, on May 19.
Photographer: Hameed Khan/AFP via Getty Images
Iran is ramping up support to the Taliban in retaliation against U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to scrap a historic nuclear deal, Afghan officials said, and the battle for a strategic Afghan city points to that blowback.
Tehran directly supported a Taliban offensive last week against the western city of Farah that’s situated near the border between the two nations, Afghan government and police officials said. Fighters from the insurgent group crossed over from Iran, where they had been trained and armed, Farid Bakhtawar, the head of the provincial council of Farah, told Bloomberg.