Iran continues to increase its outreach to Central Asian countries, as part of its broader eastern strategy of knitting together ties to many of the countries between Iran and China and working with them. For instance, Iran has tried to work on Pakistan-India tensions to reduce the chances of war between the countries.
The country also recently hosted Amir Khan Muttaqi, Afghanistan's acting foreign minister, who met with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Tehran. 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.
Hosting the secretary of Armenia's Security Council
In another development, the Iranian foreign minister also hosted the secretary of the Security Council of the Republic of Armenia. “Araghchi received Armen Grigoryan, the Secretary of the Security Council of the Republic of Armenia, with both assessing bilateral ties, and regional and international developments,” IRNA noted. “Recalling his last month’s visit to Yerevan and his meeting with high-ranking Armenian officials, Araghchi described the relations between the two countries as positive and expressed Iran’s readiness to expand friendly relations based on mutual interests,” the report said.
Iran discussed its desire for peaceful nuclear energy. “The Iranian foreign minister called for the speedy implementation of a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, saying Iran believes it would help with regional stability and security.”
Iran wants to see peace in the southern Caucasus so it can continue to work on a north-south economic corridor. This could then be knit in with its initiatives in Central Asia.