Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that the deployment of military infrastructure in Afghanistan and its neighboring states by any non-regional countries is unacceptable under any pretext.
Lavrov made the remarks during the 7th meeting of the Moscow Format of Consultations on Afghanistan.
According to Lavrov, the military presence of non-regional forces in Afghanistan will only lead to a turbulent situation and new conflicts.
Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi also expressed their firm stance that the Afghan government will not permit the establishment of any foreign military bases on its territory, including the Bagram Airbase.
Located about 50 kilometers north of Kabul, Bagram Airbase served as the main base for U.S. and NATO forces in the country after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.
Recently, U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. is seeking to retake the base, warning that if the Afghan side refuses to hand it over, they will face serious consequences.
Military infrastructure deployment by non-regional countries in Afghanistan, neighbors unacceptable: Russian FM
The Trump administration on Friday expanded its sanctions targeting Iran's oil trade and maritime networks, issuing a new Iran-related general license and updating its Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list with entities and oil tankers tied to Iran's petroleum sector.
The Iran-related General License T, issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), authorizes "limited safety and environmental transactions and the offloading of cargo involving certain persons or vessels blocked on January 23, 2026."
Meanwhile, OFAC updated its SDN list, adding multiple shipping companies and nine oil tankers in alleged links with Iran. The move is expected to effectively block their U.S. property and prohibit U.S. citizens from engaging in transactions with them.
"OFAC is targeting nine shadow fleet vessels and their respective owners or management firms that have collectively transported hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of Iranian oil and petroleum products to foreign markets," the Treasury Department said Friday in a press release.
"As previously outlined, Treasury will continue to track the tens of millions of dollars that the regime has stolen and is desperately attempting to wire to banks outside of Iran," said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on X.
The move came after a series of U.S. sanctions and other measures adopted earlier this month, seen as part of a broader U.S. effort to cut off funding streams supporting Tehran amid ongoing tensions.
U.S. expands sanctions targeting Iran's oil trade, maritime networks
