Iran resumes fuel exports to Afghanistan

Iran resumed fuel exports to Afghanistan a few days ago following a request from the new Afghan government, which feels empowered by the US withdrawal to buy the sanctioned nation’s oil more openly, an Iranian official told Reuters.

The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan last week as the United States and its allies withdrew troops after a 20-year war.

The price of gasoline in Afghanistan reached $900 per tonne as many Afghans drove out of cities, fearing reprisals.

To counter the price spike, the new Taliban asked Shi’ite Iran to keep the borders open for traders.

“The Taliban sent messages to Iran saying ‘you can continue the exports of petroleum products,” Hamid Hosseini, board member and spokesperson of Iran’s Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Products Exporters’ Union, in Tehran, told Reuters.

The Taliban sent messages to Iranian traders and to an Iranian chamber of commerce, which has close links to the government.