Iran has reached out to Belarus amid increasing sanctions, seeking more economic ties and diplomacy with neighbors to shore up its economy. Tehran and Moscow are also cooperating more, as Russia is being hit with new US sanctions.
Iran’s state media said on Thursday that Iran and Belarus “expressed readiness to formulate a road map for future cooperation and to accelerate the implementation of joint projects.”
Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said his country was looking to expand defense and industrial ties with Belarus, which is a key ally of Russia. This comes as North Korea is also increasing its investment in what it claims are hypersonic missiles.
Nasirzadeh and the “visiting Chairman of the State Committee for Military Industry of Belarus, Dmitry Pantus, held talks in Tehran on Thursday,” Iran’s IRNA state media said. “During the meeting, the Iranian defense minister expressed satisfaction with the growing trend of relations between Tehran and Minsk. He emphasized that the Islamic Republic welcomes the enhancement of defense and industrial ties with friendly and independent countries. The two sides examined avenues for developing their bilateral cooperation in defense, technical, and industrial fields.”
Iran and Belarus move to strengthen relations
Meanwhile, Iran’s foreign minister discussed the importance of Iran’s trade with its neighbors. He said that the total trade with countries near Iran is double that of with Europe.
“Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has emphasized the importance of strengthening relations with neighboring countries, arguing that they are an important lifeline for Iran in the face of Western sanctions,” IRNA noted. He was addressing the Foreign Ministry’s Provincial Diplomacy Conference in the northeastern city of Mashhad on Wednesday. “I see extensive capacities in provincial diplomacy that can bring blessings to the entire country,” he said.
Iran is also seeking to increase ties to Pakistan, Central Asian countries, and Afghanistan.
“Elsewhere in his speech, while urging businessmen and entrepreneurs to introduce Iran’s capabilities to the world, the top diplomat said the provinces should promote their local products and provide the manufacturers with media and economic support in target countries.” Araghchi also stated that Tehran’s call for diplomacy does not mean ignoring the rights of the Iranian people.
In addition, Iran said it will not return to negotiations so long as the US continues to make “unreasonable” demands. The comments came at the same diplomatic event, which “brought together Iran’s ambassadors to regional countries, including China and Russia, as well as trade and business representatives to discuss ways to develop economic relations.”
The Iranian diplomat also said: “As long as this spirit, approach, and bitter experiences in negotiations with the US exist, it is natural that there is no possibility of re-entering into dialogues.”
Iran is clearly continuing to pivot away from the West, which it thinks will not change course on sanctions. “The main priority of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s foreign policy is its neighbors, an issue that is of political, security, and strategic importance to us, and at the same time, is also very important economically,” Araghchi told reporters in Mashhad on Wednesday.
IRNA noted that “Araghchi added that also, in conditions of sanctions, economic relations with neighbors can provide suitable spaces to counter the effects of sanctions.”
The Iranian foreign policy chief said that “in fact, one of the effective strategies in neutralizing sanctions is to use regional and border capacities.... We believe that there is a lot of economic potential in the country that can flourish and be utilized through direct communication between provinces and neighboring countries.”