Author: Iranians worried ‘their story will end like Afghanistan’

Iranian author and journalist Tara Kangarlou said Tuesday that Iranian citizens are concerned “their story will end like Afghanistan,” amid uncertainty about the country’s post-conflict future.

Kangarlou told NewsNation’s Elizabeth Vargas that “ordinary Iranians” were currently trapped between a “brutal dictatorship” and a “lack of policy” from the U.S. that has them questioning what comes next when the war ends.

She referenced a promise President Trump made in January that help was “on its way” as Tehran’s regime orchestrated a bloody crackdown on protestors inside the country.

“Now, the people of that country are wondering whether their story will end like Afghanistan,” Kangarlou, who wrote “The Heartbeat of Iran,” said on “Elizabeth Vargas Reports.”

The U.S. exit from Afghanistan faced intense scrutiny for the chaos that ensued as former President Biden’s administration rushed to evacuate thousands of people from the country.

The Taliban seized on the disorder, overtaking Kabul and reclaiming power much quicker than U.S. officials had anticipated. Massive crowds formed around Hamid Karzai International Airport as people tried to flee the country, clutching onto planes as they sped down the runway.  

Billions of dollars’ worth of U.S.-funded military weapons and equipment and thousands of Afghan allies were left behind, and 13 American servicemembers were killed in a suicide bombing at the Abbey Gate entrance near the Kabul airport.  

Kangarlou’s comments come after Trump said on Monday that the U.S. and Iran were engaged in negotiations regarding the “complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East.”

Iran publicly rejected a 15-point ceasefire proposal from the U.S. on Wednesday, offering a counterproposal to end the war.

It was unclear whether the U.S. proposal included a push for regime change, but Trump has been openly encouraging Iranian citizens to topple their government for months.

He renewed that call after the U.S. and Israel launched joint strikes against Tehran on Feb. 28, targeting military, nuclear and leadership sites.

Israeli strikes have taken out several of Iran’s top military and political leaders, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testified during a Senate hearing last week that the regime was “degraded, but intact.”

“The United States went to Afghanistan to get rid of the Taliban, only to be left with the Taliban, and if this deal is underway, and if that comes to fruition, however that looks like, with the system intact, that would most likely be the case for the Iranian people,” Kangarlou warned Wednesday.