Acting Minister of Mines and Petroleum Hedayatullah Badri said at the opening ceremony of “Iran International Mineral Exhibition” in Tehran that Afghanistan currently has stability and that favorable opportunities for investment have been created in the country.

Badri added that the Islamic Emirate seeks to effectively utilize the experiences of neighboring countries in the extraction of Afghanistan’s mineral resources.

In addition to touring various sections of the exhibition and a lithium processing plant, he also extended an invitation to Iranian private sector companies to invest in Afghanistan.

He also held a meeting and discussion with Iran’s Minister of Industry, Mine, and Trade. A previous agreement between Tehran and Kabul regarding survey work, development, and laboratory procurement was the central focus of this meeting.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum of Afghanistan announced that two technical committees have now been formed to begin practical work on this agreement.

The Ministry of Economy also stated that Kabul is seeking to strengthen its economic and trade relations with Tehran, which would be mutually beneficial for both countries.

“Iranian investors are interested in investing in Afghanistan’s mining, transportation, energy, and infrastructure sectors, and the Islamic Emirate welcomes Iranian investors in Afghanistan,” said Abdul Latif Nazari, Deputy Minister of Economy.

Economic experts, however, consider Iran to be a valuable economic and trade partner for Afghanistan. They emphasize that expanding relations with Iran could benefit the economies and trade sectors of both Kabul and Tehran.

Pete Hegseth, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, has stated that the findings of the special task force investigating the “disastrous” withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan will be released soon.

Speaking to Fox News on Monday, he said those responsible for the manner of the withdrawal will definitely be held accountable.

In response to a question regarding the results of the investigation into the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, Hegseth said: “We are pursuing this issue seriously in our office. A statement regarding the progress of the special task force working on this matter will likely be released tomorrow or Wednesday.”

He added: “The investigation is ongoing, but this process takes time, as many issues need to be examined. Some of the information is classified and requires conducting interviews.”

He predicted that the investigation into how the American withdrawal from Afghanistan was handled may continue until next year.

Referring to the withdrawal from Afghanistan as well as the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, Hegseth said: “What Joe Biden did to America’s credibility was disastrous.”

He asserted that with Donald Trump’s return, America’s strength and credibility have once again been restored.

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) fell out of the IPL 2025 playoffs race on Monday night, leaving Mumbai Indians (MI) and Delhi Capitals (DC) fighting for the last remaining slot in the top four.

In their match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Monday, LSG made a storming start, with Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram putting on 115 at close to 11 runs an over. 

But SRH’s bowlers hit back with clever use of the old ball and limited them to 205, a total that proved inadequate in the face of a thrilling display of six-hitting from Abhishek Sharma.

SRH were already out of contention for the playoffs when this match began, but they showed their strength in their batting line up – even without Travis Head, who missed out after a bout of Covid-19 delayed his return to India.

Abhishek hit six sixes in a 20-ball 59, turning his team-mates’ task straightforward; with Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen and Kamindu Mendis also getting past 30, SRH reached their target with ten balls remaining, ESPNcricinfo reported.

LSG’s batting, yet again, was over-reliant on their big three, with Nicholas Pooran scoring 45 off 26 balls on the back of the openers’ half-centuries, and no one else reaching double figures. 

Having scored 108 for no loss in the first ten overs, LSG only managed 97 for 7 in the back half, as SRH’s bowlers pulled them back with their changes of pace.

The match officially ended in the 19th over, but its symbolic end came in the 14th, when Kamindu hit Digvesh Rathi for three clinical, back-to-back fours in his final over.

Speaking after the match, LSG’s captain Rishabh Pant said injuries to key personnel created “lot of gaps” that played a part in the team’s underwhelming IPL 2025. 

“It couldn’t be the best season for us,” Pant said. 

“Getting into the tournament we knew a lot of gaps were there because of injuries. We decided we won’t talk about that, but it became difficult to close out those gaps.”

Pant was seemingly referring to the prolonged absence of several key players. Left-arm pacer Mohsin Khan missed the entire season, while express quick Mayank Yadav, one of LSG’s prized retentions, spent most of the tournament on the sidelines. 

Other big-money signings Avesh Khan and Akash Deep also struggled with fitness issues and joined the playing XI only midway through the season.

“The way we planned the auction, if we had the same bowling [attack], the story would be different,” Pant said. 

“At the same time, this is cricket, things can happen. Sometimes they go your way, sometimes they don’t. Need to take pride in the way we’re playing. Need to look at the positives other than discussing more on the negative side.”

Tuesday, May 20: Match 62

Today’s match will see Chennai Super Kings take on Rajasthan Royals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, in Delhi. 

Fans in Afghanistan can tune in to Ariana Television from 5:30pm to watch the match live.