Iran at odds with allied Russia after Moscow backs UAE in island dispute
CNBCJul 01, 2023
The Facts
Iranian Pres. Ebrahim Raisi kicked off a three-day visit to Africa on Wednesday, making his first stops in Kenya and Uganda to discuss trade with Pres. William Ruto. Raisi is set to visit Zimbabwe in the first Iranian state visit to Africa in a decade.
Describing the visit as "a turning point," Raisi and Ruto signed five memoranda of understanding covering information technology, investment, fisheries, and other areas.
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
African countries are waking up to the neo-colonial ways of the West, and it's inevitable that cooperation between Iran and Africa will increase in light of the onerous conditions they both face from Western imperialism. With shared cultural backgrounds and policy goals of non-alignment, African countries and Iran have much to share with one another through a deepening of relations.
Pro-establishment narrative
Iran's adversarial relationship with the West has put it on the road to ruin, and Tehran's world tour of other struggling countries will do little to alleviate its economic hardship. Iran faces a widespread economic crisis of its own making, as the West cannot and should not dignify its oppressive regime. If Raisi wants to boost the Iranian economy, he should stop their nuclear program and end their antagonistic disposition toward the West in order to see the crippling sanctions lifted.
