Afghanistan’s Bagram: The U.S. New Front Against Iran and China
WANA (Oct 12) – Analysts say Washington’s stated focus on China’s nuclear program masks deeper geopolitical intentions.
While Washington has framed its intention to reestablish control over Afghanistan’s Bagram Air Base as part of efforts to monitor China’s nuclear activities, regional observers suggest the move primarily targets the growing China–Iran economic and transit cooperation.
Roughly three weeks ago, U.S. President Donald Trump, speaking at a joint press conference with the British Prime Minister, announced that Washington plans to resume control of Bagram Air Base and restore its role as a strategic outpost.
Trump noted Bagram’s proximity to China’s industrial zones, claiming the base lies “about an hour” from China’s nuclear production sites — a remark seen as a signal of U.S. ambitions to reassert a geographic foothold between China and Iran, two states advocating multipolar global cooperation.
Located some 800 kilometers from China’s Wakhan Corridor, Bagram offers the U.S. a vantage point to monitor Beijing’s expanding footprint in Afghanistan, its integration into the Belt and Road Initiative, and the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor.
China’s Wakhan Corridor. Social media/ WANA News Agency
The move could also revive U.S.-backed regional projects such as the TAPI gas pipeline (Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India) and the CASA-1000 power line, which aims to transmit surplus hydropower from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to Afghanistan and Pakistan.
For Iran, a U.S. return to Bagram represents a geopolitical warning sign. The base’s location north of Kabul and its relative proximity to Iran’s eastern provinces would allow Washington to conduct surveillance, drone operations, and special forces missions near Iranian territory.
It could also hinder Tehran’s efforts to expand transit access to Central Asia and to develop a new trade route linking Iran to China via Afghanistan’s Wakhan corridor.
From China’s perspective, a renewed U.S. presence at Bagram poses a direct challenge to the Belt and Road Initiative, threatening its east–west transport routes.
Iran: China’s Land Corridor to Escape U.S. Maritime Pressure
WANA (Oct 04) – Amid intensifying geopolitical competition between the United States and China, Iran has reemerged as a key player in connecting East and West. While Washington strengthens its military alliances and exerts pressure in the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea—posing risks to vital trade routes—Tehran and Beijing are expanding land-based cooperation […]
Beijing has invested heavily in Afghan rail projects and signed agreements with the Taliban to secure trade corridors to South Asia and the Persian Gulf. U.S. control of Bagram would enhance Washington’s ability to monitor or disrupt those routes.
Last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping stated via BRICS channels that China had begun developing a road through Afghanistan to connect with Iran and West Asia.
A related project, the Five Nations Railway Corridor—linking China, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, and Iran—aims to create a secure rail route to the Persian Gulf, much of it running through northern Afghanistan.
The Taliban, however, have taken a firm stance, declaring that “not an inch” of Afghan territory will be handed over to the United States. They view any U.S. return as a violation of sovereignty and a blow to their domestic legitimacy. Instead, the Taliban appear intent on strengthening economic and transit partnerships with China and Iran rather than risking renewed military tensions.
Afghanistan’s Bagram Air Base. Social media/ WANA News Agency
