Iran wants to inflict “pain” on Western forces in Afghanistan but its support for the Taliban has so far been small and insignificant, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Wednesday.
“We do have evidence of Iranian involvement, particularly in the western part of Afghanistan,” Gates told lawmakers at a hearing. “It is still a relatively small — making a relatively small and not significant contribution to the Taliban effort.”
Shi’ite Iran is not a comfortable ally of the hardline Sunni Taliban but analysts say Tehran may be providing some support to tie down and irritate U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
