Iran is mounting an intensive campaign to undermine U.S. efforts in Afghanistan. The Iranian initiative includes developing closer ties with the Taliban and funding media outlets and politicians, The Washington Post reported.

Although Iran has been meddling in Afghanistan for years, it recently increased its efforts as the United States and Afghanistan work out an agreement that could keep U.S. troops in the country beyond 2014. Iran’s strategy is similar to the one it used in Iraq to undermine U.S. efforts there, the Post reported.

Iran has a dim view of U.S. military bases in Afghanistan, seeing them as a help to the West in gathering intelligence on their nuclear program and as an advantage should the United States and Iran go to war. The CIA also has been using Afghanistan as a base for its surveillance drones, the Post reported.