Five years after the chaotic U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Taliban government is pushing for a diplomatic and economic reset with President Donald Trump. According to a new report by The New York Times, Kabul is dangling access to the country’s massive, untapped mineral wealth in exchange for normal relations, though Washington is showing little interest.
In an interview in Kabul, Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi declared that the chapter of war is over, stating that the Taliban wants relations built on mutual respect and positive engagement. He urged the U.S. to reopen its embassy, invest in infrastructure projects, and tap into Afghanistan’s vast reserves of lithium, copper, iron ore, and rare earth elements. Muttaqi specifically appealed to Trump’s reputation as a dealmaker, hoping economic pragmatism might overcome political hurdles.
However, the pitch faces massive roadblocks. While foreign policy experts note that the Trump administration might look past human rights abuses for economic gain, Washington remains deeply resistant. The Trump administration recently designated the Taliban as a state sponsor of wrongful detention, paused visas, and barred Afghans from traveling to the U.S. Furthermore, the Taliban flatly rejected Trump’s demands to return abandoned U.S. military weapons and hand back control of Bagram Air Base, insisting foreign troops will never return.
The State Department rejected normalization outright, stating that the Taliban has failed to improve stability or uphold counterterrorism promises. Analysts emphasize that because the Taliban refuses to alter its harsh domestic policies—including severe restrictions on women and girls international isolation and a complete lack of appetite in Washington will likely keep this deal dead on arrival.
