Iran Seeks Peace, Trade, and Drone Agreements in Expanding Central Asia Partnerships

Iran is intensifying its engagement with Central Asian countries as part of its broader eastern strategy, which aims to strengthen ties with nations along the corridor between Iran and China. As part of this approach, Iran has also sought to ease tensions between Pakistan and India to help reduce the risk of conflict in the region.

The country also recently hosted Amir Khan Muttaqi, Afghanistan's acting foreign minister, who met with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Tehran, The Caspian Post reports citing foreign media.

Iranian state media said, “Muttaqi’s Saturday trip to Iran is part of the Afghan caretaker government’s broader effort to strengthen diplomatic relations with countries worldwide.”

Afghanistan is also doing outreach to both Iran and China. Iran and Pakistan are both partners of China. Clearly, this illustrates how China is moving toward the Middle East while Iran looks east. According to IRNA, Afghanistan’s “discussions in Tehran and Beijing will focus primarily on key issues such as economic cooperation, Afghan migrants, regional projects, and political interactions. In recent months, both Iran and China have taken more active roles in addressing Afghanistan’s situation.”

At the same time, Araghchi also hosted his Tajik counterpart, Sirojiddin Muhriddin, in Tehran on May 17, 2025. “The foreign ministers of Iran and Tajikistan, pointing to the sensitivity of the current developments in the region and the existence of common challenges and concerns, have emphasized the need to continue close and continuous consultations at the bilateral level in the form of political consultation meetings, as well as in the regional and international organizations,” IRNA noted.

The Tajik foreign minister is leading a large delegation to Iran. Tajikistan already has an agreement with Iran to make Iranian drones. “Araghchi explained the Islamic Republic of Iran's positions in supporting the oppressed people of Palestine and condemned the crimes of the Zionist regime in Gaza and the West Bank,” IRNA added.