The two neighbouring nations have a long shared history. Historically, Iran has been the dominant nation with pre-Islamic empires that rivalled Rome and Greece; it came close to ruling Europe. Thus, Afghanistan has always been part of Iran’s natural sphere of cultural, religious, and political influence. Many Afghans speak a dialect of Farsi (Dari), which is considered a language of culture and scholarship. Geographically, modern Iran took shape after losing western Afghanistan including Herat, the second-largest city in Afghanistan, to the British in the Anglo-Persian War (1856–1857). Many Iranians consider western Afghanistan to be an integral part of its territory or at least see it as a little Persia inside Afghanistan
