Need to Move Afghanistan Higher on Foreign Policy Agenda

It is essential for Iran to expand relations with neighboring Afghanistan due to its enormous trade potential that can help bolster the country's economy, an Iranian diplomat said. 
"Strengthening relations with Afghanistan should be our foreign policy's top priority … If we manage to achieve this goal, our country and economy will become resilient and boom," Bahador Aminian, Iran's ambassador in Kabul, was quoted as saying by IRNA. 
He pointed to the high volume of trade between the two countries, noting that Iran's total export to European countries is hardly a third of its export to Afghanistan. 
"All officials have their eyes on Europe while it brings Iran no gain," he said. 
The Iranian ambassador called on the private sector, especially in the border provinces of Sistan-Baluchestan and North, South and Razavi Khorasan, to engage in economic ties with Kabul reach the maximum potential. 
Aminian also suggested that Iranian goods could be packaged in shared zones with Afghanistan so that it can be exported to third countries. 
Iran's international trade is currently facing trouble due to American sanctions that were reimposed after the United States pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal last year.