We Expect Our Relations With India To Develop, Says Taliban’s Foreign Minister

Momeni called the rise in the production of industrial drugs in Afghanistan dangerous for the security of the region and the world.

Iran's interior minister made the remarks on Wednesday, November 6, on the sidelines of an Iranian cabinet meeting.

Momeni had previously called the Islamic Republic one of the victims of Afghanistan's increased drug production.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) had also announced on Wednesday that poppy cultivation in Afghanistan has increased by 19% in 2024 as compared to the previous year.

The United Nations cited the Taliban's failure to combat poppy cultivation this year, adding that the area of poppy cultivation has increased from 10,800 hectares last year to 12,800 hectares this year.

The Taliban, however, rejected the UN report, calling it "baseless and far from the truth”.

In response to the latest UN report, a spokesman for the Taliban's Interior Ministry said that the assessment may have been made before police campaigns to eradicate poppy cultivation earlier this year.

Since then, all poppy fields have been wiped out by Taliban forces and drug cultivation has "significantly reduced", he claimed.

Recalling the history of Trump's relations with the Taliban, this ministry requested more interaction between the two sides.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Taliban emphasised in a note on the social media platform X that in the opinion of this group, the opening of a new chapter in the relations between the two sides can be accompanied by mutual interactions in various fields.

This comes even as during the presidency of Donald Trump, the United States and the Taliban reached the historic Doha agreement. In the framework of this agreement, which was signed in February 2020, the United States committed to the gradual withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan, and the Taliban also made commitments to reduce violence and start intra-Afghan dialogue.

This agreement was signed after a phone call between President Trump and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the current deputy Prime Minister of the Taliban’s economic affairs, in order to end the 20-year war in Afghanistan and led to the withdrawal of American forces from the country.

The fall of the previous government of Afghanistan was one of the consequences of signing this agreement.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Taliban added in its announcement that this agreement should be the basis of the future relations between this group and the United States, and with the continuation of constructive interactions, the ground for the reconstruction of bilateral relations will be provided.

The Taliban's foreign ministry has also expressed hope that Trump will play a constructive role in ending regional crises and wars, especially in Gaza and Lebanon.

According to the United Nations, the Taliban have struggled to control poppy production effectively this year.

The UN’s data indicates that the area dedicated to poppy cultivation rose from 10,800 hectares last year to 12,800 hectares this year. Published on Wednesday, the report highlights that most of this increase has occurred in Afghanistan’s northeastern regions, where the price of dry opium has surged to around $730 per kilogram.

The United Nations emphasised the importance of supporting Afghan farmers to reduce their reliance on illegal markets. “As poppy cultivation in Afghanistan remains at a manageable level, we have both the opportunity and the responsibility to help Afghan farmers build sustainable sources of income independent of illegal markets,” stated Ghada Fathi Waly, Executive Director of UNODC. She added that Afghan communities, facing severe financial and humanitarian challenges, urgently need alternative livelihoods.

‘Changing Geography of Poppy Cultivation’

According to UNODC findings, the geographical focus of poppy cultivation in Afghanistan has shifted significantly. Until 2023, the southwestern provinces traditionally served as the primary poppy-growing areas. However, in 2024, 59% of Afghanistan’s poppy cultivation occurred in the northeastern provinces, representing a 381% increase in these areas compared to the previous year.

Efforts to eradicate poppy cultivation in Afghanistan face ongoing challenges. This year, Taliban forces reportedly used violent tactics to suppress several protests by farmers during poppy field eradication operations, particularly in Badakhshan province. In one instance, the crackdown on protesting villagers in Badakhshan resulted in at least seven deaths.

The protesting farmers criticised the Taliban’s inability to provide viable alternative crops, arguing that the destruction of poppy fields without offering sustainable income options would exacerbate poverty for many families.

The issue of poppy eradication and the development of alternative livelihoods was also a central topic at the recent third Doha meeting, attended by the Taliban and special representatives from regional countries. At the meeting, participants pledged to collaborate with the Taliban through specific working groups dedicated to the eradication of poppy cultivation in Afghanistan.

The organisation wrote that the prisoners had been sentenced to death by the Islamic Republic's judiciary on charges of murder and drug offences.

Iran Human Rights (IHR) reported on Wednesday, November 6, that the Islamic Republic authorities carried out the death sentences of these prisoners at the Isfahan Central Prison on Saturday morning, November 2. The organisation identified the executed Afghan as Moavin Mir Jahani and said that he was 40 years old.

According to Iran Human Rights, Moavin Mir Jahani was arrested and sentenced to death on charges of "drug trafficking and carrying weapons”.

Earlier, Iran Human Rights announced on November 3 that executions of Afghans in Iran have increased since the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan, and that 90 Afghans have been executed in the country since 2022. In the past month alone, 13 Afghans have been executed in Iran on various charges, the organisation said.

The Iran Human Rights Organisation said that the execution of prisoners convicted on drug-related charges has increased steadily over the past four years, every year.

The Islamic Republic of Iran has continued to carry out the death sentences of prisoners despite strong opposition from international human rights organisations.

The court said that the defendants were sentenced to three years in prison and sentenced to 39 lashes.

The Taliban's Supreme Court announced in a statement on Wednesday, November 6, that the two defendants were sentenced to flogging in the presence of local officials, court clients, and the general public.

On Tuesday, November 5, the Taliban's Supreme Court announced the flogging of at least 27 people in Kabul, Maidan Wardak, Paktika, and Jawzjan provinces.

According to reports from the Taliban's Supreme Court, the group has publicly flogged more than 40 people in various provinces of Afghanistan in the past week.

This comes as international human rights organisations have repeatedly called on the Taliban to stop corporal punishment and torture of defendants. The Taliban, however, has continued to publicly punish the accused.

The Taliban consider the implementation of the public flogging sentence to be one of the orders of "Islamic Sharia".