Some have proposed that the actual motive for the United States-led Western invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 was Afghanistan's importance as a conduit for oil pipelines to Afghanistan's neighbouring countries, by effectively bypassing Russian and Iranian territories, and breaking the Russian and Iranian collective monopoly on regional energy supplies.
Some have suggested that the United States' invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 was motivated by Afghanistan's significance as a conduit for oil pipelines, bypassing Russian and Iranian territories to circumvent their control over regional energy supplies.