Algeria welcoming
Abdelaziz Bouteflika, 19 October 2003, Tehran. Following the
Iranian Revolution, in 1981 Algeria's role was instrumental in the release of the US diplomatic
hostages held in Iran. In 1998, Iran became increasingly critical of Algeria's heavy-handed security forces, especially during several massacres during the Muslim holy month of
Ramadan and led efforts to pressure Algeria to act more humanely through the international community. Algeria in turn blamed Iran for the massacre. After a decade, in early September 2000, diplomatic and trade relations between Algeria and Iran were re-established in a decision made by Iranian President Mohammad Khatami and his Algerian counterpart
Abdelaziz Bouteflika on the sidelines of the
United Nations Millennium Summit. The resumption of relations paved the way for number of agreements "on bilateral cooperation in the areas of judicial affairs, finance, industry, and air transport". Relations continued to strengthen rapidly after that to the extent that in 2002 Iranian Defense Minister
Ali Shamkhani and Algerian Joint Chief of Staff Muhamed al-Imari Wednesday signed an agreement for military and technical cooperation in Iran. In the recent 2006 UN vote on
Iran's nuclear program, Algeria abstained from voting.
Bahrain Iran had a historic claim to Bahrain until March 1970 when
Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi abandoned the claim as a result of secret Anglo-Iranian negotiations. Following this realignment of policy, the two countries signed a demarcation agreement in 1970. Following the
Iranian Revolution, Bahraini
Shia fundamentalists in 1981 orchestrated a
failed coup attempt under the auspices of a front organization, the
Islamic Front for the Liberation of Bahrain. The coup would have installed a
Shia cleric exiled in Iran, Hujjat al-Islam Hādī al-Mudarrisī, as supreme leader heading a theocratic government. The Bahraini Government unofficially regarded the coup as Iran attempting to overthrow their
Sunni government. Iran denied all knowledge saying the fundamentalists were inspired by the Iranian revolution but had received no support from Iran. Fearful of a recurrence, the episode caused Bahrain to crack down on its Shia population putting thousands into jail and further souring relations with Shia Iran. Recently the countries are beginning to enjoy closer relations again and have engaged in many joint economic ventures. Iran has been severely critical of Bahrain hosting the
US navy Fifth Fleet within the
Persian Gulf. In August 2015, Bahraini authorities announced arresting of five members of a terrorist group which was linked to at least one bombing attack in Bahrain and was believed to accept aid and training from Lebanese
Hezbollah and Iran-based
Revolutionary Guards. On 4 January 2016, Bahrain severed diplomatic relations with Iran, citing Iran's "blatant and dangerous interference" in Bahrain and other Arab countries. This directly followed Saudi Arabia's dissolution of diplomatic ties with Iran. In January 2016, Comoros recalled their ambassador from Iran in an expression of cooperation and solidarity with
Saudi Arabia.
Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi, one of the former presidents of Comoros was a graduate from the Islamic seminaries at
Qom,
Iran. According to the Tehran-based
Tabnak news agency, while Sambi was there, he studied under
Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi. Djibouti cut its diplomatic ties with Iran out of solidarity with Saudi Arabia after Riyadh cut off diplomatic relations with Iran on 3 January 2016. The countries had previously signed trade agreements to increase trade in 2005. In 2006, while on an official visit to Iran, Djiboutian president
Ismaïl Omar Guelleh stated that Iran had expressed interest in expanding cooperation on defense issues in the future. In the same year the President also supported Iran's right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
Egypt In 1939, diplomatic relations between
Egypt and
Iran were upgraded to ambassadorial level, and
Youssef Zulficar Pasha was appointed as Egypt's first ambassador in
Tehran. In the same year,
Princess Fawzia of Egypt, the sister of
King Farouk I, married
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the then crown prince (later Shah) of Iran. The relationship between Iran and Egypt had fallen into open hostility under
Gamal Abdel Nasser presidency. Following his death in 1970, President Sadat turned this around quickly into an open and cordial friendship. In 1971, Sadat addressed the Iranian parliament in Tehran in fluent
Persian, describing the 2500-year-old historic connectivity between the two nations. Overnight, Egypt and Iran were turned from bitter enemies into fast friends. The relationship between
Cairo and
Tehran became so friendly that the
Shah of Iran (Persia),
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, called Sadat his "dear brother." After the 1973 war with Israel, Iran assumed a leading role in cleaning up and reactivating the blocked
Suez Canal with heavy investment. Iran also facilitated the withdrawal of Israel from the occupied
Sinai Peninsula by promising to substitute with free Iranian oil the loss of the oil to the Israelis if they withdrew from the Egyptian oil wells in Western Sinai. All these added more to the personal friendship between Sadat and the Shah of Iran. Once again, relations between the two countries collapsed with the sudden eruption of the
Iranian Revolution in Iran in 1978–79. When the Shah fell, Egypt was bound to disapprove of his replacement,
Ruhollah Khomeini, who returned the sentiment in full measure. Furthermore, in 1979,
Anwar Sadat infuriated the new Iranian government by welcoming
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the exiled
Shah of Iran, for a short, but indefinite, stay. In 1979, Iran officially cut all ties with Egypt. This move was a response to the 1978
Camp David Accords, as well as Egypt's support for Iraq in the
Iran–Iraq War. In 1981, Iran symbolically dedicated a street to
Khaled Islambouli, Sadat's assassin. According to one American report, Mubarak views Iran as the primary long-term challenge facing Egypt, and an Egyptian official said that Iran is running agents inside Egypt in an effort to subvert the Egyptian regime. Hani Suleiman, a political analyst (in a conversation with
Al-Masry Al-Youm): The meeting between the presidents of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Egypt, on the sidelines of the Riyadh meeting is considered to be very significant because of some issues, because the mentioned meeting is regarded the first meeting between the heads of these 2 countries after a long time away. Likewise, considering the continuation of the Zionist regime's aggressions, the mentioned meeting has messages for the outside world, particularly America, Israel, and Western countries to strengthen the solidarity and closeness of the regional parties, and it is a danger for the Zionist regime and it takes the affairs out of the control of the United States.
Iraq On 17 September 1980, after the
Islamic Revolution in Iran settled down, Iraq under
Saddam Hussein declared the
previous settlement of border disputes with Iran null and void. Several days later on 22 September, Iraq invaded Iran in the
Iran–Iraq War. Lasting until 1988, the brutal war killed over one million people and critically soured Arab–Iranian relations. In Iraq, the conflict was continually presented in a historical context as Arab versus
Persian. The impact of the war was devastating to relations in the region; general Arab support for Iraq and a fear of Shia Muslims led to many disputes between Iran and the other
Persian Gulf states. The war was a primary cause for the rise of
anti-Arabism within Iran, which had until then been largely insignificant. The war ended with an UN-sponsored cease-fire.
Jordan and President
Mohammad Khatami, Tehran, 2 September 2003. In 1980, Iran cut all ties with Jordan after the outbreak of
Iran–Iraq War. Relations between the two nations resumed in 1991. In September 2000,
King Abdullah met with Iranian President
Mohammad Khatami on the sidelines of the
Millennium Summit in New York. Shortly thereafter, trade between Jordan and Iran increased dramatically. According to figures from Jordan's Central Bank, "trade between Jordan and Iran reached $20 million in 2001, up some 46 percent on the previous year's $13.7 million." On 2 and 3 September 2003, King Abdullah II visited Tehran, making him the first Jordanian king to visit "Tehran since the launching of the Islamic revolution in Iran in 1979".
Kuwait Kuwait and Iran share close
diplomatic, economic, and
military ties, which is unusual for a Sunni Arab state and even more unusual for a U.S. ally even if it is sporadic. After the Iranian Revolution in 1979, Kuwaiti Prime Minister then
Sabah Al-Sabah (the future Emir of Kuwait) visited Iran and congratulated the Iranian Revolution. However, this quickly turned sour when Kuwait supported Iraq on its
war against Iran, and there had been no official relations between Kuwait and Iran for nearly 10 years after it started to fear about the threat from the legacy of the Iranian Revolution. In 1990, following the
Gulf War, Iraqi–Kuwaiti relations suffered bitterly and consequently Kuwaiti–Iranian relations began to greatly improve and flourish. Bilateral relations were gradually strengthened, partly because Iran and Kuwait were both invaded by
Iraq and with exchanges of Iranian and Kuwaiti political and economic delegations leading to the signing of several economic and trade agreements. In February 2006, Iranian President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited Kuwait opening a new chapter in relations between the two countries. The well-reported visit was the first to Kuwait by a high-ranking Iranian official in 27 years.
Lebanon Iran has close ties with Lebanon and considers it an ally. Iran also has close ties with the Lebanese political party
Hezbollah and its militia force to whom it reportedly provides as much as $100 million in supplies and weaponry per year. Following American threats to cut off funding for the
Lebanese Army should it not be verified that Hezbollah would be kept from getting access to it, Lebanon's then Defense Minister
Elias Murr set up a fund to ask for donations to the armed forces. A few weeks later, Lebanese president
Michel Suleiman asked Iran to consider selling advanced military equipment to the Lebanese Army. Hezbollah supported the president's call. The next day, Iran's then Defense Minister
Ahmad Vahidi expressed readiness to offer military aid to Lebanon. Following the collapse of the
Gaddafi government in the aftermath of the
2011 Libyan Civil War, Iran was also one of the countries to recognize the
National Transitional Council government.
Mauritania In June 1987, President
Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya severed all diplomatic relations with Iran in protest of the nation's supposed refusal to negotiate an end to the
Iran–Iraq War. In recent years, Iran has been pursuing the policy on promoting relations with African countries. In November 2024, Iran's ambassador to
Mauritania, Abu Javad, met with Ould Medou, Mauritania's Minister of Culture. During the meeting, both sides expressed readiness for promoting cultural cooperation in various fields including cinema, cultural events, and training courses, among others.
Morocco In 1981, Iran cut off all diplomatic ties with
Rabat in response to
King Hassan II's decision to give asylum to the exiled Shah. A decade later, diplomatic relations between the two nations were renewed, but another decade would have to pass before
Abderrahmane Youssoufi, the prime minister of Morocco, would lead the first Moroccan delegation to the Islamic Republic of Iran. The posture of Iran about the
Western Sahara dispute had been heavily influenced by its diplomatic relations with the neighbouring countries, Morocco and Algeria. Since late January 1979, the deposed
Shah of Persia,
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, had been granted asylum in Morocco by
Hassan II, who refused to repatriate him back to Iran to be judged, causing finally the break of relations between Iran and Morocco in 1981. Previously, on 27 February 1980, Iran gave formal diplomatic recognition to the
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic as the legitimate government of the territory of
Western Sahara. The support to the
Polisario Front continued during the 1980s, allowing the
Sahrawi national liberation movement to open a diplomatic representation in
Tehran.
Oman Oman and Iran share close
diplomatic, economic, and
military ties. According to Kenneth Katzman of the
Congressional Research Service, "Oman has a tradition of cooperation with Iran dating back to the
Shah of Iran's regime and Oman has always been less alarmed by the perceived threat from Iran than have the other Gulf states." Unlike the majority of its
Gulf neighbors, Oman managed to uphold diplomatic relations with both sides during the
Iran–Iraq War from 1980 to 1988 and strongly supported UN Security Council resolutions to end the conflict. Secret cease-fire talks between the two adversaries were held in
Muscat during the war, and although an agreement was never reached during these talks, they did reduce distrust on both sides. Moreover, after the war, Oman mediated talks to restore diplomatic ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia and Iran and the United Kingdom. During the
Persian Gulf War, Iran–Oman relations were damaged after Iran began running attacks on tanker movements in the
Persian Gulf and placed anti-ship missile launchers along the
Strait of Hormuz. The Gulf neighbors have since restored their ties and have conducted joint military exercises as recently as February 2011. Oman's leader
Sultan Qaboos traveled to Iran in 2009 for the first time since
Iran's 1979 revolution. Though on two occasions the U.S. has dispatched high-level officials to discuss Iran with Oman, the fact that Oman has avoided publicly expressing any concerns regarding Iran's nuclear program is likely a reason why the two states have managed to maintain strong ties. In addition to strong diplomatic and political ties, Iran and Oman cooperate economically on several fronts, including energy. Most recently, the Gulf neighbors signed an initial agreement to begin supplying large quantities of natural gas from Iran to Oman, a project that was earlier reported to be worth between $7–12 billion. In addition to these major economic projects, the two countries have opened a joint bank to facilitate their mutual financial dealings, agreed to develop the Kish and Hengam gas fields in the Gulf, and signed a
memorandum of understanding for a potential joint petrochemical project valued at $800 million. About
Iran nuclear program, the Omani government's official position on Iran's nuclear program is as follows: "The sultanate hopes Washington will engage in a 'direct dialogue' with Teheran to resolve the crisis over the Iranian nuclear program. The sultanate has no reason not to believe Iran's assurances that its program has purely civilian purposes. This region, no doubt, does not want to see any military confrontation or any tension". From July 2012 to October 2013, all
Iranian interests in the
United Kingdom were maintained by the Omani embassy in
London.
Palestine After the
Islamic Revolution, the new theocratic government brought an end to the
Iran–Israel relationship; it rescinded the country's
recognition of Israeli sovereignty before closing the Israeli embassy in
Tehran and repurposing it for the
Palestine Liberation Organization. Iran officially endorses the
destruction of Israel (or the "
Zionist entity"), favouring the establishment of
one Palestinian state encompassing both
Israel and
Palestine, with
Jerusalem as its capital city. Several Palestinian militant groups, including
Hamas, are close Iranian allies. The Iranian government also gives substantial assistance to the
Hamas government in the
Gaza Strip, which depends on foreign aid for an estimated 90% of its budget. Iranian support has not been unconditional however, and in July and August 2011, Iran cut funding to show its displeasure at "Hamas's failure to hold public rallies in support" of Syrian president
Bashar al-Assad during the
2011 Syrian uprising. In part for this reason, Hamas was unable to pay the July salaries of its "40,000 civil service and security employees." Iran sometimes formally uses the term "Occupied Palestine" (e.g., on the
Iranian passport) to refer to Israel. Before the Islamic Revolution, Israel regarded
Pahlavi Iran—a non-Arab power on the periphery of the Arab world—as a natural ally and counterweight to Arab ambitions as part of the "
alliance of the periphery" of Israeli prime minister
David Ben-Gurion.
Qatar In 1969, Iran and Qatar signed a demarcation agreement.
Saudi Arabia Following the outbreak of the
Iran–Iraq War, Iranian pilgrims held a political demonstration about Saudi moving in the direction of the United States and do not take any action against Israel during the
Hajj in
Mecca. In 1987, they succeeded; however,
Saudi police crushed the demonstration violently causing the
Iranian pilgrims to riot. Immediately following the riot,
Ruhollah Khomeini called for Muslims to avenge the pilgrims' deaths by overthrowing the
Saudi royal family. The Saudi government blamed the riot on the Iranian pilgrims and claimed that the pilgrim riot had been part of a plot to destabilize their rule. The following day mobs attacked the Saudi embassies in Tehran. In 2001, Iran and Saudi Arabia signed a "major security accord to combat drug trafficking and organized crime". In 2008, the Saudi King Abdullah invited former
Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani to visit Saudi Arabia for the purpose of attending an Islamic conference. Rafsanjani responded by saying that the opportunity was a way "Iran and Saudi Arabia can resolve differences in the Muslim world." In 2010, the website
WikiLeaks disclosed various confidential documents pertaining to the
United States and its allies which revealed that
Saudi Arabian
King Abdullah urged the US to attack Iran. The crush took place in Mina On 24 September 2015, an event described as a "
crush and stampede" caused deaths estimated at well over 2,000 pilgrims. Iran had the highest number of casualties with 464 casualties. Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, declared three days of national mourning in Iran. The cause of the disaster remains in dispute. The Mina disaster inflamed tensions between regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran, which were already elevated due to the wider turmoil in the Middle East. On 4 January 2016, Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations with Iran, following attacks on the Saudi embassy in Tehran after predominantly Sunni Saudi Arabia's execution of a Shiite cleric. This was directly followed by Bahrain's dissolution of diplomatic ties with Iran. On 10 March 2023, both Iran and Saudi Arabia announced the restoration of relations after a deal brokered by China. The Iranian embassy reopened on 6 June while the Saudi embassy in Iran reopened in 9 August.
Somalia In 2006, the
Islamic Courts Union took over
Mogadishu from
CIA-backed
ARPCT. Iran has been one of several nations backing the public uprising. According to
Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Ghedi, Iran, Egypt, and Libya are helping the militia. The Somali prime minister accuses these countries of wanting more conflict in Somalia, which seems contradictory because of
the transitional government's inability to extend authority beyond
Baidoa, which is something the Islamic Republic sees.
Sudan In 1991, "there was evidence of increasing economic and military links between Sudan and Iran... Some 2,000 Iranian Revolutionary Guards were allegedly dispatched to Sudan to assist with the training of the
Sudanese army, and in December President Rafsanjani of Iran made an official visit to Sudan, during which a trade agreement between the two countries was concluded. In November 1993, Iran was reported to have financed Sudan's purchase of some 20 Chinese ground-attack aircraft. In April 1996, the Government was reported to be granting the Iranian navy the use of marine facilities in exchange for financial assistance for the purchase of arms although, in response to a Sudanese request for military aid in 1997, Iran provided assistance only with military maintenance." During the last week of April 2006, Sudanese President
Omar Hasan Ahmad al-Bashir met with a number of Iranian public figures in Tehran, including the
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. In a joint news conference with al-Bashir on 24 April, Ahmadinejad explained to the public his belief that "expansion of ties between the two countries serves the interests of both nations, the region, and the Islamic world, particularly in terms of boosting peace and stability." Before the conference ended, al-Bashir congratulated Iran for its successful pursuit of "nuclear power for peaceful purposes," while Ahmadinejad restated his opposition to the participation of
UN Peacekeepers in
Darfur.
Syria Ba'athist Syria and Iran were strategic allies. Syria was often called Iran's "closest ally", the
Arab nationalism ideology of Syria's
Baath party notwithstanding. During the
Iran–Iraq War, Syria sided with non-Arab Iran against its enemy
Iraq and was isolated by Saudi Arabia and some of the Arab countries, with the exceptions of
Libya,
Lebanon,
Algeria,
Sudan and
Oman. Iran and Syria have had a strategic alliance ever since, partially due to their common animosity towards
Saddam Hussein and coordination against the
United States and
Israel, until
2024. Syria and Iran cooperated on arms smuggling from Iran to
Hezbollah in
Lebanon, which borders Israel. On 16 June 2006, the defence ministers of Iran and Syria signed an agreement for military cooperation against what they called the "common threats" presented by Israel and the United States. Details of the agreement were not specified, however Iranian defense minister Najjar said "
Iran considers Syria's security its own security, and we consider our defense capabilities to be those of Syria." The visit also resulted in the sale of Iranian military hardware to Syria. In addition to receiving military hardware, Iran has consistently invested billions of dollars into the Syrian economy. The Ba'athist Syrian leadership, including Former President Assad himself, belongs predominantly to the
Alawite branch of Shi'a Islam. Iran was involved in implementing several industrial projects in Syria, including cement factories, car assembly lines, power plants, and silo construction. Iran also had plans to set up a joint Iranian–Syrian bank in the future. In February 2007, Presidents
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and
Bashar al-Assad met in Tehran. Ahmadinejad afterwards declared that they would form an alliance to combat US and Israeli conspiracies against the Islamic world. During the
Syrian Civil War, Iran has aided the Syrian government.
The Guardian has claimed that in 2011 the Iranian
Revolutionary Guard increased its "level of technical support and personnel support" to strengthen Syria's "ability to deal with protesters," according to one diplomat in
Damascus. Iran reportedly assisted the Syrian government sending it riot control equipment, intelligence monitoring techniques and oil. It also agreed to fund a large military base at
Latakia airport. According to the US government, Mohsen Chizari, the
Quds Force's third-in-command, has visited Syria to train security services to fight against the protestors. However, in late August, the Iranian government gave its "first public sign" of concern over Syrian's handling of its crisis when foreign minister
Ali Akbar Salehi issued a statement including the Syrian government in the list of states he urged to "answer to the demands of its people." After the fall of the Assad government it is uncertain how relations will develop as an Iranian diplomat said in December 2024.
Tunisia Following labour unrest led by the
Tunisian General Labour Union throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, in 1987 President Bourguiba instigated a massive purge of Tunisian politics under the pretext of a "terrorist conspiracy" sponsored by Iran. Iran protested and diplomatic relations were promptly broken. On 27 September 1987, a state security court found 76 defendants guilty of plotting against the government and planting bombs; seven (five in absentia) were sentenced to death. In September 1990, Tunisia and Iran restored diplomatic relations once again. Relations remained unchanged until June 1999, when the speaker of the Tunisian Parliament,
Fouad Mebazaa, became the first Tunisian official to visit Iran since the beginning of the Islamic Revolution in 1979. His visit was intended to reflect "the rapid improvement in bilateral relations since the setting up of the joint committee for cooperation on the level of the foreign ministers in the mid-1990s". By 2000, trade relations between the two nations reached
USD 73 million. The following year, on 19 April 2001, Tunisian prime minister Muhammad al-Ghanoushe visited Tehran on "an official visit" to sign a new joint trade agreement with his counterpart.
United Arab Emirates Iranian investors have a wide presence in the UAE and account for 10 percent of the Arab country's population. Based on recent statistics, nearly 400,000
Iranians live in the UAE running 10,000 small business firms. Trade between Dubai and Iran tripled to $12 billion from 2005 to 2009. Following the 1979 Revolution in Iran, the UAE has been pushing for the return of the islands. The countries maintain very close economic ties and the UAE has a significant Iranian expatriate community. Outstanding conflicts are: • UAE claims two islands in the
Persian Gulf currently held by
Iran:
Lesser Tunb (called Tunb al Sughra in Arabic by UAE and Tonb-e Kuchak in Persian by Iran) and
Greater Tunb (called Tunb al Kubra in Arabic by UAE and Tonb-e Bozorg in Persian by Iran); • UAE claims island in the Persian Gulf jointly administered with Iran (called
Abu Musa in Arabic by UAE and
Jazireh-ye Abu Musa in Persian by Iran) – over which Iran has taken steps to exert unilateral control since 1992, including access restrictions and a military build-up on the island. However, Iran has criticized the UAE for allowing France to develop its first permanent base in the Persian Gulf region there. Recently, despite the spread of false information by neighboring countries and outsider powers, UAE has been seeking to ease tensions with Iran, as they are two of the most strategic partners in terms of economy and politics.
Yemen Yemen and Iran have full diplomatic and trade relations. Following the first two decades of the 1979 Revolution, ties between Tehran and Sana'a were never strong, but in recent years the two countries have attempted to settle their differences. One sign of this came on 2003-12-02, when the Yemeni foreign ministry announced that "Yemen welcomes Iran's request to participate in the Arab League as an observer member." On 10 May 2006, "the Yemeni ambassador to Iran Jamal al-Salal met... with the Iranian deputy foreign minister for the Arab and North Africa Affairs Mohammad Baqiri and the deputy assistant of the foreign minister for educational affairs and research Mohammadi respectively. The meeting centered on boosting mutual cooperation between the two countries and means to reinforce them. The talks also dealt with issues of common interest at the regional and Islamic levels." ==See also==