Sanctions on Iran have no adverse effects on Afghanistan

Afghan officials have rejected Western media reports that the U.S. and the E.U. chastising sanctions on Iran have negative impacts on Afghanistan.

Ministry of Commerce says that the sanctions may actually have positive impacts on Afghanistan. Therefore, Iran is trying to invest in Afghanistan.

Wall Street Journal had written in one of its articles that the sanctions on Iran may indirectly harm Afghanistan.

Waheedullah Ghazikhail, Spokesperson to the Ministry of Commerce, turned down the report and said:

“The sanctions actually benefit Afghanistan.  As a result of these sanction, a number of Iranian traders have increased their investment in Afghanistan, mainly in Herat province. We have not seen any negative signs of these sanctions.”

Mr. Ghazikhail added that the Ministry had requested Afghan traders to not have any business deals with Iranian authorities that fall under the transaction. However, they did not mean to support the sanctions but rather to protect Afghan traders from any harm.

Muzamil Shinwari in his interview with the Wall Street Journal had said that the first people who might suffer from the negative impacts of the sanctions would be Afghan refugees in Iran by losing their jobs.

However, Mr. Ghazikhail declined Mr. Shinwari’s view and said that Afghans in Iran do not have such jobs that can be affected by the sanctions.

America and the E.U. imposed sanctions on Iran in order to force Iran to put a halt on its alleged nuclear weapons program.

Afghanistan is the only country in the region that have strategic ties with America and the E.U while at the same time has kept Iran as one of its friends in the region.