Iranian MPs Hail Taliban’s Anti-Drug Move Despite Rise In Poppy Cultivation

A group of Iranian MPs has praised the "remarkable progress" of the Taliban in their fight against drugs and "ensuring security in Afghanistan."

On Monday, a group of parliament members met with Mohammad Abdul Kabir, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Taliban and released a statement, "With the emergence of the Islamic Emirate government, the fight against the production and distribution of drugs in Afghanistan has been pursued, which also has an impact on Iran."

However, evidence suggests that poppy production and the cultivation of narcotics is on the rise. Eskandar Momeni, the Secretary-General of the Anti-Narcotics Headquarters of Iran said earlier this spring that despite the promises made by the Taliban and based on the official statistics of the United Nations, drug cultivation and production in Afghanistan had increased in the past year.

He said that Afghanistan currently holds the "first rank in opium production" and the "second rank in industrial drug production, including methamphetamine" in the world. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime states that Afghanistan produced 80% of the world's opium in 2022.

Therefore, despite Iran’s praise and the claims by Taliban officials to be working towards limiting and eventually eliminating drug cultivation and distribution, the statistics do not support their rhetoric.