The US State Department has explicitly rejected Taliban proposals for American investment in Afghanistan’s critical minerals sector, stating no plans to cooperate with the group on resource development due to sanctions designations and concerns over enabling repression. These overtures, made in August and September 2026 by Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi seeking mining access, embassy reopening, and sanctions relief, received no official engagement. The Trump administration has instead advanced critical minerals agreements with other partners, such as Armenia and Pakistan, while maintaining the Taliban’s terrorist organization status. Absent diplomatic normalization or policy shifts within the resolution window, these barriers sustain trader consensus against a signed bilateral mineral deal in 2026.