President Ebrahim Raisi has expressed Iran's desire to cooperate with the military regime that came to power in Niger through a coup.
At a meeting with, Niger’s foreign minister Bakary Yaou Sangare, Raisi described "the resistance of the Nigerien people against European hegemonic policies as the testimony of Africa's refusal of colonialism."
Niger’s president Mohamed Bazoum was ousted on July 26.
Since the military junta seized power, there have been mass protests in the West African nation calling for troops of former colonial ruler France to leave.
French troops pull-out
France is currently pulling out its 1,500-strong military deployment to the Sahel country following a demand from Niger's new rulers.
Raisi told Sangare Iran was "ready to cooperate with Niger", particularly "in economic areas", the Iranian government website reported.
Niger is facing heavy economic sanctions imposed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and many Western countries have cut off development aid.
On September 4, Raisi "praised the resistance of African countries in the face of colonialism and terrorism" when he received Olivia Rouamba, foreign minister in the transitional government of Burkina Faso, a neighbour of Niger.
Rare African tour
After a coup in 2022, Burkina Faso's transitional government expressed a wish to diversify its partners, moving closer in particular to Russia, as has also been the case with neighbouring Mali.
Tehran has been bolstering ties across the African continent in an effort to reduce its isolation and offset the impact of crippling sanctions reimposed since the 2018 withdrawal of the United States from an internationally negotiated nuclear deal.
In July, Raisi undertook a rare Africa tour that took him to Kenya, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
