The Kabul Tribune (KT)- Five years after returning to power, the Taliban is offering the United States access to Afghanistan’s mineral resources as it seeks closer relations with Washington.
Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi told the Financial
Times that Afghanistan would “absolutely” welcome U.S. investment as the
Taliban seeks sanctions relief and international recognition.
“Relations between Afghanistan and the United States should
not be assessed through the lens of the past 20 years of war, but rather on the
basis of future co-operation,” Muttaqi said, according to the Financial Times.
Afghanistan has largely undeveloped deposits of copper,
lithium, iron ore and rare-earth minerals. The Taliban has also expressed
interest in U.S. investment in infrastructure and in reopening an American
diplomatic presence in Kabul.
The comments come five years after the United States ended
its nearly 20-year military presence in Afghanistan. The Taliban seized Kabul
in August 2021 as the U.S.-backed Afghan government collapsed, prompting a
chaotic evacuation of American and Afghan civilians.
Since returning to power, the Taliban has sought to expand
diplomatic and economic ties with foreign countries while pressing for
international recognition of its government.
Russia became the first country to formally recognize the
Taliban government in July 2025. The United States has not recognized the
Taliban administration.
The Taliban has increasingly sought foreign investment to
develop Afghanistan’s natural resources and infrastructure. Several regional
countries have expanded economic and diplomatic engagement with Kabul, although
most have stopped short of formally recognizing the Taliban government.
Muttaqi’s comments represent a renewed appeal to Washington
for economic engagement, with Afghanistan’s mineral resources among the areas
the Taliban says could provide a basis for future cooperation.
