IEA official responds to Trump’s Bagram remarks, rules out foreign troop presence

Zakir Jalaly, Director of the Third Political Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate, has dismissed the prospect of a renewed U.S. military presence in Afghanistan, emphasizing instead the possibility of political and economic engagement based on mutual respect and shared interests.

Responding to U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent comments about Bagram airbase, Jalali said on X that Trump — known as a businessman and dealmaker — had raised the matter in the context of negotiation. He underlined that Afghans have never accepted foreign military presence, a stance reaffirmed during the Doha talks and subsequent agreement.

Jalaly stated that the doors remain open for political and economic relations between Kabul and Washington based on shared interests and mutual respect.

Trump, speaking to reporters on Thursday during a trip to London, said “we want that base back” and cited what he called its strategic location near China.

“It’s an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons,” Trump said.

The sprawling airfield was the main base for American forces in Afghanistan during the two decades of war that followed the September 11, 2001, attacks in New York and Washington.