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Khalilzad rejects claims that China controls former US base in Afghanistan
In a statement posted Saturday on X, Khalilzad wrote: “I do not believe the report that Communist China now controls the strategic Bagram Airbase. It is not true.”
Former U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, has firmly denied reports suggesting that China has taken control of Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan, countering repeated assertions made by President Donald Trump.
In a statement posted Saturday on X, Khalilzad wrote: “I do not believe the report that Communist China now controls the strategic Bagram Airbase. It is not true.”
His remarks come after Trump publicly repeated claims that China has assumed control over the airbase—once the largest U.S. military installation in Afghanistan—describing the situation as a major strategic failure stemming from the 2021 withdrawal.
Trump, who returned to office in January 2025, has sharply criticized his predecessor, Joe Biden, over the exit from Afghanistan. In recent public remarks, Trump stated that Bagram’s location, near China’s western border and its nuclear facilities, makes it a critical military asset. He described the U.S. pullout as a “disaster” that has “handed a strategic gift to China.”
Earlier this week, Khalilzad had shared a link to one such report claiming Chinese control over Bagram. In a follow-up post, however, he clarified that he does not endorse the claim and has seen no credible evidence supporting it.
Bagram Airbase, located just north of Kabul, served as the central hub of American and NATO operations for nearly 20 years. Since the U.S. withdrawal in August 2021, the airfield has been under the control of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. No verifiable evidence has emerged indicating that Chinese forces or officials have taken over its operations.
Alireza Bikdeli, Iran’s acting ambassador in Kabul, said Saturday that trade between Iran and Afghanistan is continuing without interruption.
According to a statement from the Iranian Embassy in Kabul, Bikdeli noted that the Iranian government has introduced special facilities at the borders to facilitate imports and exports.
He also emphasized that cooperation between the two countries over the past 48 years has not been affected by any war or foreign intervention, and that Iran’s diplomatic missions are operating at full capacity to support traders from both nations.
Hafiz Omar, the acting head of the Embassy of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in Oman, attended a meeting on recent regional and global developments at the official invitation of Oman’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi.
According to a statement issued by the Afghan Embassy in Oman, Omar shared information about Afghanistan’s position and the overall situation in the country. He also referred to certain “malicious efforts” aimed at destabilizing the region.
The statement added that participants in the meeting emphasized the importance of dialogue and diplomacy in addressing challenges and ensuring stability in the region and the wider world.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Saturday that its temporary leadership council had approved the suspension of attacks against neighboring countries unless an attack on Iran came from those countries.
The announcement came as Iran continued to launch attacks in the region in response to U.S.-Israeli strikes on the Islamic Republic, Reuters reported.
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