Drugs are a massive issue for Iran, as we have written several times on this site.

Iran is the primary gateway through which Afghan opium passes on its way to the lucrative drug markets of the Middle east and Europe and with neighbouring Afghanistan being the primary producer of opium in the world, that makes for quite a problem along that route.

Iran therefore has a massive population of its own addicts as well as the unwelcome involvement of organised crime within their borders. The mahem associated with drug trafficking is not something that the Iranian government relishes either, as demonstrated by their repeated public crackdowns on traffickers and major drug shipment seizures. They are serious about fighting the drug trade, but they are also underfunded.

Iran should therefore be a natural ally in the war on drugs.

It is with these premises in mind that Asley Bommer has proposed at least part of the solution to the current nuclear crisis with Iran.

Bommer argues in a piece at the International Herald Tribune, that a comprehensive aid package aimed at combatting the movement of narcotics accross Iran, primarily over the Iranian-Afghan border would be a major enticement for the Iranian government.

While this could only ever be part of any deal, it’s certainly something that could be considered if both the war against drugs was legitimate and the desire to reach a peaceful outcome with Iran was genuine.

Here’s to hoping.