Looking for another breakthrough?, Iranian President's Rare Visit to Africa Visits Three African Countries | Iranian President Lehi

On the 12th local time, stepping on the red carpet of welcome in Kenya, Iranian President Lehi began a three-day trip to Africa. Next, he will also visit Zimbabwe and Uganda. This is the first visit by an Iranian president to Africa in over a decade. Analysis suggests that in the face of severe Western sanctions, Iran is expanding its political and economic ties with Africa and seeking more breakthroughs in diplomacy.

A "New Beginning" in Relations with Africa

On the 12th local time, Laixi arrived in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. Iran regards this visit as a "new beginning" in relations with the African continent.

At a press conference held in Nairobi, Lech referred to Africa as a "continent full of opportunities" that would provide an excellent platform for the export of Iranian products, and all parties were "dissatisfied with each other's existing trade volume.". He pointed out that Africa is rich in mineral resources, and Iran has advantages in the field of chemical industry. Both sides should expand cooperation.

Kenyan President Luto referred to Iran as a "key strategic partner" and a "global innovation powerhouse". He stated that Kenya is interested in exporting more tea, meat, and other agricultural products to Iran and expanding its exports to Central Asia through Iran. He also announced that Iran plans to build an automobile manufacturing plant in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa.

The two governments also announced that they have signed five memorandums of understanding, covering information and communication technology, fisheries, animal husbandry, and investment promotion.

After concluding his visit to Kenya, Laixi will also depart for Zimbabwe and Uganda. It is expected that Lai Xi's visits to these two African countries will also prioritize exploring strengthening trade and bilateral relations.

The Associated Press reported that among the three African countries visited by Lech, Zimbabwe, like Iran, is also subject to US sanctions. Earlier this year, Zimbabwe sent a ministerial delegation to visit Iran, and both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in areas such as oil trade. Ugandan President Museveni once expressed support for Iran's nuclear program in 2010, stating that all sovereign countries have the right to implement peaceful nuclear programs.

Promoting economic diplomacy

Analysis suggests that Lech's milestone visit signifies that Iran is seeking a foothold in Africa.

According to the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the purpose of Lehi's trip to Africa this time is to "promote economic diplomacy, strengthen political relations with friendly countries, and seek diversification of export destinations.".

Arireza Peman Parker, the former head of the Iranian Trade Promotion Organization and the current official of the Iranian Ministry of Agriculture, said that in recent years, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates and other neighboring countries as well as China have increased their influence in Africa, while Iran has repeatedly "ignored" opportunities in Africa in recent years.

He also stated that in the global economy, Iran needs to seek opportunities internationally to increase foreign exchange earnings. Under the challenges brought by Western sanctions, Iran can also seek to exchange goods with African countries.

It is reported that since former Iranian President Ahmadinejad's visit to Africa in 2013, his successor, Rouhani, has never visited any African country during his eight years in office, and has been criticized by the current conservative government for "avoiding" the African continent and overly focusing on repairing relations with the West.

According to statistics from the Iran Africa Traders Association, although Iran's relations with African countries were "almost frozen" during the Rouhani administration, the Lech administration has successfully doubled Iran's trade volume with Africa since taking office.

According to Iranian media reports, Iran's annual trade volume with the entire African continent was 1.2 billion US dollars last year. However, despite this, this number is still far lower than other countries, accounting for only 1% of Africa's total foreign trade volume. The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that the trade volume between Iran and African countries will increase to over 2 billion US dollars this year.

Another breakthrough in diplomacy?

The outside world has noticed that as Europe and the United States increase their sanctions on Iran, Iran is constantly expanding its circle of friends and seeking more breakthroughs in diplomacy.

According to the US Middle East news website Al Monitor, since taking office in August 2021, Lai Xi has visited more than ten countries.

In February of this year, Lai Xi made a state visit to China, stating that the visit was "very successful and fruitful". In May of this year, Laixi made a return visit to Indonesia and reached a series of cooperation agreements such as the "Preferential Trade Agreement", agreeing to strengthen the political and economic relations between the two countries. In June, Lech visited Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba to strengthen relations with these Latin American countries

Iran's diplomacy has also seen a series of positive developments.

At the regional level, in April this year, under the mediation of China, Iran and Saudi Arabia resumed diplomatic relations that had been suspended for seven years. Under this favorable momentum, Iran is improving its relations with countries such as Egypt and Morocco.

At the international level, Iran officially became the ninth member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization at the 23rd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization held on July 4th. In addition, Iran is actively seeking to join the BRICS cooperation mechanism.

Analysis suggests that Iran's domestic economy has suffered a heavy blow due to the severe sanctions imposed by the West. Therefore, Iran has a strong demand for breaking through the blockade and is actively seeking cooperation with emerging economies.

Iranian African affairs expert Ahmad Bahsh believes that Iran may see Africa as a gateway to the BRICS cooperation mechanism. He believes that in trade with African countries, "de dollarization" will be a priority for Lech, and it is also the key for Iran to overcome the dominance of the US dollar, sell oil in non US dollar currencies, and gradually bring the economy back on track.