Trade turnover between Russia and Afghanistan doubled in the first six months of 2026, indicating a steady growth trend in economic ties between the two countries, Russian Presidential Special Representative for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov has said.

According to Russia’s TASS news agency, Kabulov made the remarks on Friday, October 16, during a conference on security in Central Asia and Afghanistan hosted by the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

“Trade turnover between our countries is growing. In the first half of this year, it doubled,” Kabulov said.

He acknowledged that the overall trade figures remain modest but described the increase as significant for Afghanistan, which he said is recovering from two decades of US and NATO military presence.

Moscow Seeks to Sustain Trade Growth

Kabulov stressed that maintaining steady and progressive growth in bilateral trade is important, adding that Russia would work to sustain the current pace of development.

He also said Russia and Afghanistan were building relations based on mutually beneficial and constructive engagement.

The remarks highlight Moscow’s stated intention to strengthen economic cooperation with Afghanistan as regional countries continue discussions on security, stability and development across Central Asia and Afghanistan.

US President Donald Trump has said Washington may launch further strikes against Iran’s underground nuclear facilities, including the site known as Pickaxe Mountain, as he seeks to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon, Reuters reported.

In an interview with Newsmax on Thursday night, Trump said the United States was determined to ensure Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon, arguing that such a development would pose a serious threat.

“Their nuclear is buried under millions of tons of mountain. Now we’re looking at Pickaxe Mountain. We may have to go there. We’ll take a shot at that one. We’ll knock it out fast,” Trump said.

Pickaxe Mountain is a heavily fortified underground facility linked to Iran’s nuclear programme, located near one of the country’s major nuclear sites.

Trump also ruled out the use of nuclear weapons in the conflict, saying conventional military capabilities would be sufficient to achieve US objectives.

“I wouldn’t use nuclear. We don’t have to,” he said.

The US president reiterated that he was not considering deploying American ground troops into Iran, signalling that Washington’s military approach would continue to rely on other forms of military action.

Trump did not confirm whether he had authorised the use of the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) bomb, commonly known as the “Mother of All Bombs,” against Iranian energy infrastructure or nuclear facilities. He stressed that the weapon was not nuclear, read the report.

The remarks come amid escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran following US-Israeli strikes on Iran that began in February, with Iran’s nuclear programme remaining a central issue in the conflict.

The potential targeting of deeply buried nuclear facilities could further intensify the conflict and raise concerns about the broader regional security situation.