-Analysis-

After about a week-long exchange of fire between Taliban forces and Iranian border guards (at or near Sasuli in eastern Iran) and in spite of Iranian authorities claiming the "misunderstanding" had been resolved and peace restored at the frontier, late on May 30, the Taliban were reportedly moving guns and armored troop carriers to the frontier district of Islam Qala, in northwestern Afghanistan.

On social media, the Taliban have been posting boastful videos, with one showing fighters on an armored vehicle cheering the prospect of a war with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Another video shows a Taliban commander, Abdul Hamid Khurasani, warning Iranian authorities not to test the Taliban's strength, telling them "we're the real Muslims because behind the scenes, you're with the West." If Afghanistan's rulers were to order it, he warned, "God willing we shall soon conquer Iran."

On the Iranian side, while a lot of the Iranian materialis aged if not outdated, and even with the rock-bottom morale and discontent likely affecting Iranian troops, they would still need barely a day, using whatever is left from the Shah's army, to destroy the vehicles the Taliban have moved to the frontier. Iranian plane and helicopter pilots might even destroy them as target practice, though the real concern here remains the regime's inability to resolve a dispute.