Analysts See Limits to China, Iran, Russia Collaboration With Taliban

FILE - China's ambassador to Afghanistan, Zhao Sheng, greets Prime Minister Mohammad Hasan Akhund at the Presidential Palace in Kabul, Sept. 13, 2023. China recently accepted the credentials of the Taliban ambassador to Beijing. (Taliban handout via AP)

Since the Taliban seized control in August 2021, China, Iran and Russia have been steadily courting Afghanistan’s de facto government for influence. The three countries have kept their embassies open in Kabul and were among the first to hand over Afghan embassies to the Taliban at home.