Iran and Belarus announced an agreement to enhance bilateral cooperation and to vigorously oppose Western sanctions, their presidents announced following talks on Wednesday.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and his Belarusian counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko, met in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, to discuss ironing out a partnership agreement.
Mr. Lukashenko said many issues are on the table, including increasing military cooperation.
“Of course, our common views should be implemented in the economic and cultural spheres, in the development of tourism between our countries, and also, as you noted, in the development of military-technical cooperation,” Mr. Lukashenko told state-affiliated media.
Any pact would be aimed at thwarting economic sanctions imposed by Western countries. Mr. Pezeshkian called such punishment “illegal” and said Iran looked forward to helping Belarus ease its economic pain.
During the talks, Mr. Pezeshkian stressed the importance of a Tehran-Minsk alliance and called for increased cooperation between the two nations in organizations like the Eurasian Economic Union and BRICS.
“Today, the United States and some European countries are seeking to expand unilateralism and impose their views on others, which has not been tolerated by [Belarus] and us,” Mr. Pezeshkian told state-affiliated media.
Iran has been under heavy sanctions for decades and is facing even harsher economic penalties from European nations if it doesn’t make progress on a diplomatic solution to its nuclear program. France, Germany and the U.K. threatened in July to trigger the snapback mechanism of 2015’s Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action at the end of August.
Belarus has remained a staunch supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin and has offered significant support for Russia’s war in Ukraine. When Russia launched its invasion in 2022, Belarus let Russian troops enter Ukraine through its territory.
The U.S. and European nations have increasingly targeted Belarus with sanctions since the invasion, with the EU announcing a new slate of penalties in February.
Iran has also drawn closer to Russia since the invasion, supplying Moscow with scores of its advanced Shahed drones. Mr. Pezeshkian traveled to Russia in January to sign a strategic cooperation treaty, which included an increased economic partnership.
However, Iran hasn’t taken as public a position on the war in Ukraine and has opted to maintain neutrality. Iran has also denied U.S. allegations that it sent Russia short-range ballistic missiles to be used in Ukraine.
