Pentagon Sought Sanctions Exemptions for Iranian Investment in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON—As the U.S. struggled in recent years to help prop up Afghanistan’s anemic economy, the American military turned for help to an unlikely partner: Iran.

The U.S. has no formal relations with Tehran and American companies are restricted from working with Iran by sanctions over the country’s disputed nuclear activities. Nevertheless, a specialized Pentagon task force sought to engage Afghanistan’s western neighbor for major business ventures it was promoting in the country.

The U.S. has no formal relations with Tehran and American companies are restricted from working with Iran by sanctions over the country’s disputed nuclear activities. Nevertheless, a specialized Pentagon task force sought to engage Afghanistan’s western neighbor for major business ventures it was promoting in the country.

The U.S. has no formal relations with Tehran and American companies are restricted from working with Iran by sanctions over the country’s disputed nuclear activities. Nevertheless, a specialized Pentagon task force sought to engage Afghanistan’s western neighbor for major business ventures it was promoting in the country.

The Pentagon’s request for exemptions from America’s strict sanctions regime represented a note of pragmatism. Encouraging investment in one of the world’s poorest countries could, in some cases, take precedence over tight enforcement of sanctions against Iran.

“For Afghanistan, you can’t ignore Iran,” said Joseph Catalino, head of the Pentagon’s Task Force for Business and Stability Operations—an agency that seeks to help rebuild Afghanistan’s economy by backing investment opportunities and business ventures. “They’re a major partner to them in many ways.”   More at Wall Street Journal