America cannot wish Iran away

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's visit to Afghanistan has clearly set the cat amongst the pigeons as his trip overlapped with US Defence Secretary Robert Gates' stopover in Kabul.

Both parties indulged in the usual round of political sniping and proceeded to lose sight of the bigger picture reconstruction and stability of Afghanistan.

As much as the US and Iran share a common hatred of each other, they need to understand one thing: the problem in Afghanistan is not isolated to the country alone. It is a regional problem which is spiralling out of control.

The combined might of the US and Nato troops has failed thus far to contain an energised Taliban who have regrouped and are giving the western powers a tutorial in the art of effective warfare.

The US needs to understand that it cannot wish Iran away the country shares close ethnic and religious ties with Kabul. Therefore, accusing Ahmadinejad of playing a "double game" in Afghanistan does not solve or highlight any specific issue except for the fact that the US is losing sight of the bigger picture.

At the moment, Hamid Karzai needs all the friends he can get Iran, Pakistan, India and the US. But he must determine the parameters of each relationship.