Belarus and Iran signed a series of agreements on Wednesday to strengthen bilateral ties, with a significant focus on defense cooperation. The 13 documents, inked by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian during a high-level meeting in Minsk, signal a deepening strategic partnership between the two nations, both of which face heavy Western sanctions.

The agreements, described as a step toward a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty, cover a wide range of sectors, including defense, industry, tourism, science, technology, and education. While specific details of the defense cooperation remain undisclosed, Lukashenko emphasized Belarus’s readiness to collaborate “on all issues—from providing food to military-technical cooperation,” referring to Pezeshkian as a “friend.” This development builds on a history of military collaboration, with reports from 2023 indicating discussions on joint drone production, including Iran’s Shahed drones, which could benefit Russia’s ongoing war efforts in Ukraine.

Pezeshkian highlighted Iran’s expertise in circumventing Western sanctions, pledging to help Belarus “neutralize” these measures. “With over 40 years of experience, we are ready to support our friends in Minsk to counter illegal Western sanctions,” he stated, underscoring the shared goal of resisting Western influence. The Iranian president also called for expanding economic, cultural, and tourism ties to match the “high level of trust” between the two nations.

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Both leaders condemned Western sanctions as “economic terrorism” and expressed solidarity in their pursuit of a multipolar world order. Lukashenko reiterated Belarus’s support for Iran’s peaceful nuclear program, calling U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities a “serious threat to regional and international stability.” The agreements also aim to leverage Belarus’s wood processing, chemical industries, and potash fertilizers to bolster Iran’s economy, while Iran’s pending free trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) in 2025 is expected to further enhance trade with Belarus.

The timing of the summit, postponed multiple times due to U.S. actions against Iran, underscores the geopolitical significance of this alliance. Both nations, staunch allies of Russia, have supported Moscow’s war in Ukraine—Belarus by providing territory for Russia’s invasion and Iran by supplying drones. This new pact could further complicate Western efforts to isolate these regimes, raising concerns about the potential transfer of advanced military technologies.

As Minsk and Tehran accelerate their cooperation, the international community watches closely, wary of the implications for regional security and global power dynamics. The leaders’ commitment to a strategic partnership treaty signals a long-term alignment that could reshape their roles in a rapidly changing geopolitical landscape.

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