TEHRAN: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said Sunday that the measures taken by the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) during their occupation of Afghanistan have led to increased cultivation of narcotic plants in the war-torn country, reported Xinhua.

Making the remarks in an address to a ceremony to mark the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, Raisi said during the US-NATO two-decade presence, narcotics production in Afghanistan became industrialised and the output was distributed across the globe.

Raisi stressed that no country can fight drug trafficking alone, urging all countries and international organisations to play their role, according to the Iranian presidency’s website.

He said Iran’s fight against drug trafficking was affected by US sanctions, which deprived the country of many required tools and technologies.-Bernama