Taliban offers access to mineral wealth to seek U.S. economic engagement

The Taliban is seeking to establish a new economic channel with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump by offering access to Afghanistan’s vast mineral wealth. In an interview with the Financial Times, Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi expressed readiness to welcome American investment in mining, infrastructure, agriculture, and trade, stating that “our economic policy is open.”

Afghanistan possesses mineral resources estimated to be worth over $1 trillion, including copper, iron ore, lithium, cobalt, niobium, and gold. The Taliban hopes that economic engagement will lead to the easing of sanctions and the release of frozen Afghan assets, which the central bank estimates at $9.5 billion, including approximately $7 billion held in the United States.

Muttaqi argued that relations should be viewed through the lens of future cooperation rather than the previous 20-year war. He also called for the reopening of the U.S. embassy in Kabul. However, he categorically rejected any proposals regarding a return of the U.S. military presence, specifically addressing rumors about control of Bagram Airfield, asserting that all facilities in Afghanistan are national property.