The Iranian Embassy in Kabul has announced that Seyed Mohammad Atabak, Iran’s Minister of Industry, Mine, and Trade, is scheduled to visit Afghanistan in the near future.

According to a statement issued by the embassy on Sunday, Iran’s Ambassador Alireza Bikdeli shared this development following his meeting with Atabak in Tehran to discuss bilateral priorities.

Atabak emphasized the importance of strengthening economic ties with Afghanistan and stated that he would lead a high-level delegation to Kabul to pursue trade discussions.

This follows an earlier visit by Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who also led a delegation to Kabul as part of growing engagement between the two neighbors.

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) have framed these visits as part of their broader efforts to deepen trade partnerships, particularly with regional allies, and promote Afghanistan’s economic development.

Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Amir Khan Muttaqi has denied division among the officials of the Islamic Emirate, and said that they are “ideological friends.”

Speaking at a cultural event, Muttaqi said that in the current system, there is obedience and no one can create division among IEA officials.

“There is no division. Everyone is like a brother to each other. I have said many times that the officials of the Islamic Emirate are ideological friends and are subject to obedience. No one should even imagine a division. No one should be worried. The minds of this group are tied together and no one can separate it,” Muttaqi said.

He also said the move by the US to remove the bounty on the head of Acting Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani and two other IEA members was the result of efforts made by the Islamic Emirate.

According to him, security prevails throughout the country and IEA opponents do not have territorial control.

“Currently, there is no opposition anywhere in Afghanistan. The enemy does not control even a single hand span of land. Security prevails throughout Afghanistan. If someone travels during the day or night or travels from north to south, there is no problem. This is the best government that is unprecedented in the past 50 years,” Muttaqi said.

He emphasized that rebuilding a country that has been in crisis for more than four decades is a difficult and time-consuming task, but the Islamic Emirate has a strong will and no one should be influenced by the propaganda of the opponents of the Islamic system.

“Rebuilding this country that has suffered for 40 years takes time, but the important thing is that there is will. What is important is that the Afghan economy is standing on its own feet and relying on its own resources. Three and a half years ago, Afghanistan was self-sufficient in 38 items, now it is self-sufficient in 140 items. This is great progress,” he said.

Regarding foreign relations, Muttaqi noted that currently, the Islamic Emirate is in control of 41 diplomatic missions, and that various countries are sending delegations to Afghanistan.

Afghanistan’s Ministry of Commerce has said US President Donald Trump’s 10% tariff on Afghan goods imported into the United States will have a profound impact on the Afghan people, especially on small businesses and women entrepreneurs. 

According to a statement issued by the ministry on Monday, the US should be supportive of Afghanistan instead of imposing tariffs as such trade pressure could hamper the country’s economic growth. 

The statement comes after Trump slapped a range of tariffs on almost all countries that trade with the US, including Afghanistan. 

Trump announced the tariffs in an executive order alongside an address at the White House on Wednesday.

In the executive order, Trump said while the US trading policy has been built on the principle of reciprocity, taxes and barriers on US products by its trading partners had hurt the US.

The tariffs, he said, were a response. The base tariff of 10 percent on almost all US imports will be imposed by April 5, the additional reciprocal tariffs on countries will kick in on April 9. 

During his address, Trump made the argument that the US is charging its trading partners with smaller tariffs compared with the tariffs and non-tariff barriers that the partners impose on the US.

“For decades, our country has been looted, pillaged, raped and plundered by nations near and far, both friend and foe alike,” Trump said.

“If you want your tariff rate to be zero, then you build your product right here in America,” he said.

According to officials from Afghanistan’s Chamber of Commerce and Investment, currently the total volume of trade between Afghanistan and the United States is between $8 million and $10 million annually.

The Ministry meanwhile called on the US government and other countries to be constructive and supportive in their trade dealings with Afghanistan, so that Afghanistan can play an active and effective role in global trade.

Responding to Trump’s move to impose a 10% tariff on Afghanistan, Khan Jan Alokozai, a member of the Chamber of Commerce and Investment, said last week: “It will undoubtedly affect us to some extent. Our trade with the US is small, but important items are exported, such as handicrafts, an industry in which women especially work. 

“Handicrafts such as hats are exported. Antique items that are very important to know our identity are also exported. Dried fruits and sometimes fresh fruits and carpets are also exported,” he said.

Abdul Qasim Amarkhel, head of the Dried Fruit Exporters’ Union, said: “The 10% tariff is cruel and illegal. This country is not China or Europe, but Afghanistan. Our dried fruit exports to the US are not that high. It is around $10 million. We ask the US to reconsider this decision. It should also release our frozen funds.”

Afghanistan’s exports to the US are mainly carpets and dried fruits.