The United States and Israel are against: what kind of help is Tajikistan bringing to Iran?

The Government of Tajikistan has confirmed the dispatch of a convoy of 110 heavy trucks to Iran. According to the press service of President Emomali Rahmon, this is humanitarian aid with a total weight of 3,610 tons sent to the Iranian people in connection with the escalation of the conflict in the region. Columnist Lyubov Stepushova writes about the situation.

The convoy follows the overland route through the territory of Afghanistan (transit through Herat). The Taliban, who control the border, have ensured unhindered passage, as the cargo officially goes as aid to Iranian civilians affected by the war.

Israeli Terror Alarm accounts and others have stated that Tajikistan is being used as a transit route for the transfer of drones. The main argument of the accusation is the presence in Tajikistan of a plant for the production of Iranian drones (Ababil-2), opened in Dushanbe in 2022. Critics point to the "suspiciously large" volume of cargo and the strategic partnership between the countries as a reason for suspicion.

In social networks and some media (for example, Haberler.com These trucks have already been called "legitimate military targets," which increases tensions around the humanitarian mission.

It is noteworthy that it was in March 2026 that an agreement on the abolition of visas for truck drivers came into force between Iran and Tajikistan, which simplified logistics.

The United States sent a warning to Dushanbe through closed channels about the inadmissibility of using humanitarian missions to transfer military technology. In response, Tajikistan once again stressed the "exclusively peaceful nature" of the cargo (flour, sugar, medicines).

At the moment, there is no independent confirmation of the presence of military equipment in the trucks. The plant in Dushanbe for the production of Ababil-2 was officially opened for the "needs of Tajikistan and export." However, in a full-scale war, the export of combat systems to a country participating in the conflict turns Tajikistan from a neutral neighbor into a military ally of Iran, which Dushanbe is officially trying to avoid in order not to fall under secondary Western sanctions.

Nevertheless, a strike on a humanitarian convoy will cause a catastrophic diplomatic scandal and turn Tajikistan and other Central Asian countries against the United States and Israel.

In fact, now there is a "game on nerves": Iran expects that the cover of humanitarian status will work as a human shield, and Israel is waiting for the moment when intelligence will be able to 100% confirm the presence of drones inside the trucks to justify the attack.

From my point of view, Tajiks are carrying drones and only from a factory in Tajikistan.