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Iran’s leader, visiting Africa, attacks Western support for homosexuality as among ‘dirtiest’ things

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi, left, shakes hands with Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni, right, at State House in Entebbe, Uganda Wednesday, July 12, 2023. Iran’s president has begun a rare visit to Africa as the country, which is under heavy U.S. economic sanctions, seeks to deepen partnerships around the world. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda)

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi, left, and Kenya’s President William Ruto, right, give a joint press conference after meeting at State House in Nairobi, Kenya, Wednesday, July 12, 2023. Iran’s president has begun a rare visit to Africa as the country, which is under heavy U.S. economic sanctions, seeks to deepen partnerships around the world. (AP Photo/Khalil Senosi)

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi speaks at a joint press conference after meeting with Kenya’s President William Ruto at State House in Nairobi, Kenya Wednesday, July 12, 2023. Iran’s president has begun a rare visit to Africa as the country, which is under heavy U.S. economic sanctions, seeks to deepen partnerships around the world. (AP Photo/Khalil Senosi)

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi, center-left, shakes hands with Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni, center-right, at State House in Entebbe, Uganda Wednesday, July 12, 2023. Iran’s president has begun a rare visit to Africa as the country, which is under heavy U.S. economic sanctions, seeks to deepen partnerships around the world. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda)

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi inspects the honor guard before meeting with Kenya’s President William Ruto at State House in Nairobi, Kenya Wednesday, July 12, 2023. Iran’s president has begun a rare visit to Africa as the country, which is under heavy U.S. economic sanctions, seeks to deepen partnerships around the world. (AP Photo/Khalil Senosi)

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi, center-left, and Kenya’s President William Ruto, center-right, stand for national anthems before meeting at State House in Nairobi, Kenya Wednesday, July 12, 2023. Iran’s president has begun a rare visit to Africa as the country, which is under heavy U.S. economic sanctions, seeks to deepen partnerships around the world. (AP Photo/Khalil Senosi)

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi, center, and Kenya’s President William Ruto, right, arrive to give a joint press conference after meeting at State House in Nairobi, Kenya Wednesday, July 12, 2023. Iran’s president has begun a rare visit to Africa as the country, which is under heavy U.S. economic sanctions, seeks to deepen partnerships around the world. (AP Photo/Khalil Senosi)

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi, center, inspects the honor guard before meeting Kenya’s President William Ruto at State House in Nairobi, Kenya Wednesday, July 12, 2023. Iran’s president has begun a rare visit to Africa as the country, which is under heavy U.S. economic sanctions, seeks to deepen partnerships around the world. (AP Photo/Khalil Senosi)

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi, center, inspects the honor guard after arriving at State House in Entebbe, Uganda Wednesday, July 12, 2023. Iran’s president has begun a rare visit to Africa as the country, which is under heavy U.S. economic sanctions, seeks to deepen partnerships around the world. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda)

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NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Iran’s president on a rare visit to Africa on Wednesday sharply criticized Western nations’ support for homosexuality as one of the “dirtiest” episodes of human history.

President Ebrahim Raisi spoke in Uganda, which recently passed anti-gay legislation prescribing the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality,” to widespread international condemnation.

“I believe that this issue, and these strong attacks by the West against the establishment of families and against the culture of the nations, is another area of cooperation for Iran and Uganda,” Raisi said after a private meeting with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni.

“The Western countries try to identify homosexuality as an index of civilization, while this is one of the dirtiest things which have been done in human history,” Raisi said.

The African visit is the first by an Iranian leader in more than a decade as the country, which is under heavy U.S. economic sanctions, seeks more partnerships around the world. Raisi is also visiting Zimbabwe.

By emphasizing conservatism and anti-colonialism in his Uganda remarks, he appeared ready to bond with African countries on more than purely economic grounds.

At his first stop in Kenya, Iran’s leader called Africa a “continent of opportunities” and a great platform for Iranian products. “None of us is satisfied with the current volume of trade,” he said.

Raisi specifically mentioned Africa’s mineral resources and Iran’s petrochemical experience, but the memoranda of understanding signed by Iran and Kenya appeared not to address either one. Instead, they focused on information, communication and technology; fisheries; animal health and livestock production and investment promotion.

Kenyan President William Ruto called Iran a “critical strategic partner” and “global innovation powerhouse.” Tea accounts for the bulk of Kenya’s exports to Iran, but Ruto expressed interest in expanding the range of agricultural exports.

Iran intends to set up a manufacturing plant for Iranian vehicles in Kenya’s port city of Mombasa, Ruto added.

Raisi’s Africa visit is meant to “promote economic diplomacy, strengthen political relations with friendly and aligned countries, and diversify the export destinations,” Iran’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

Last month, Iran’s leader made his first visit to Latin America, stopping in Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua. In March, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to re-establish diplomatic ties in a major diplomatic breakthrough .

Iran is in a growing standoff with Western nations over its nuclear program, which has made major advances in the five years since then-U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew his country from an international agreement that restricted it. Trump also restored sanctions on Iran that have contributed to a severe economic crisis.

The U.S. last month accused Iran of providing Russia with materials to build a drone manufacturing plant as Moscow seeks weaponry for its ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Iran has said it provided drones to Russia before the start of the war but not since.

Kenya is East Africa’s economic hub and an ally of the U.S., with President Joe Biden’s wife, Jill, visiting the country early this year. Last year, the U.S. and Kenya signed a memorandum of understanding on “strategic civil nuclear cooperation.” Kenya has expressed interest in using nuclear power for energy production.

Kenya is struggling with debt and rising cost of living, with more deadly protests on Wednesday.

Uganda’s president, a U.S. ally on security matters, has previously voiced support for Iran’s nuclear program. During a 2010 visit by former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Museveni asserted that all sovereign countries had a right to pursue peaceful nuclear programs even as he urged the eradication of all nuclear arsenals.

Uganda is trying to set up a nuclear power plant that authorities this year said would be generating electricity by 2031. The plant, which is being developed with the technical support of the China National Nuclear Corporation, would exploit the East African country’s substantial deposits of uranium.

Like Iran, Zimbabwe is under U.S. sanctions. A ministerial delegation from Zimbabwe visited Tehran early this year and agreed to deepen cooperation in areas including petroleum trade.

Muhumuza reported from Kampala, Uganda. Farai Mutsaka in Harare, Zimbabwe, contributed to this report.

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Iran Africa tour: Kenya and Iran strengthen bilateral ties

Kenya's president William Ruto and Iran's president Ebrahim Raisi have signed a number of trade agreements during a visit by Iran to the East African country on Wednesday.

The two leaders pledged to strengthen bilateral ties, with Raisi describing his visit to Kenya as "a turning point in the development of relations between (the) two countries".

The five memoranda of understanding signed on Wednesday focus on "cooperation in information, communication, and technology, fisheries, animal health, and livestock products, and investment promotion," Ruto told reporters. 

Iran also plans to to set up a "motor vehicle assembly plant" in Mombasa county, according to Ruto. 

"Common political views"

The visit is the start of a three-day tour of Africa by Raisi . From Kenya, he will head to Uganda later on Wednesday before finishing his trip in Zimbabwe on Thursday.

Prior to the trip, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanani expressed optimism that the three-day trip to Africa could help bolster economic and trade ties with African countries. 

Iran is currently seeking to shore up diplomatic support in an effort to ease its international isolation. 

Kanani said on Monday that Tehran and the African continent share "common political views", without elaborating further.

The trip is the first by an Iranian leader to the continent in 11 years. The last leader to visit was Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2013.

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‘Continent of opportunities’: Iran’s Raisi to go on Africa tour

President is heading to Africa one month after a three-country trip to Latin America.

Tehran, Iran – Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is going on his first tour of Africa, which Tehran aims to use to expand political and economic relations across the continent.

Raisi was scheduled to depart Tehran on Tuesday for a trip that will take him to Kenya, Uganda and Zimbabwe in the first by an Iranian president to Africa in 11 years, according to state-run media. The trip now appears to have been delayed by one day.

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Kenya’s foreign ministry said Tuesday that Raisi was scheduled to arrive, but a change was made to receive him on Wednesday in order to finalise memoranda of understanding that are expected to be signed. Raisi will proceed to the other African countries after, Kenya said.

On Monday, foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani told reporters that Africa was a “continent of opportunities” that wants to engage with Iran and Tehran is eager to reciprocate.

“We can describe this trip as a new starting point to have a surge in economic and trade ties alongside boosting political and cultural relations with countries on this continent,” he said.

Alireza Peyman Pak, a former head of Iran’s Trade Promotion Organisation and now an agriculture ministry official, told state television last week that Iran had been “neglecting” opportunities in Africa in recent years as China and a number of Tehran’s neighbours, including Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, have strengthened their presence on the continent.

Pak said Iran had exported $1.2bn worth of goods and services – including petrochemical products, food, medicine, and engineering and technical services – to Africa last year. He added that the amount was still not high enough despite it being an improvement on recent years.

“An African dollar is the same as a European dollar. Interests are the same. The global economy requires us to interact with any opportunities on an international scale and improve our foreign currency incomes,” he said, adding that Iran could also exchange goods with African countries in circumstances in which banking systems are weak or sanctions present challenges.

In March, Raisi hosted a meeting with a group of representatives from West Africa, in which he pitched Iran as a different kind of partner when compared with countries in the West with colonial histories on the continent.

“The expansion of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s relations with Africa is not with an eye towards the wealth of this region but with the goal of progress and welfare for all nations,” he said.

The trip comes a month after Raisi embarked on a tour of Latin America, where he signed a host of agreements to boost ties with fellow US-sanctioned allies Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua.

Tehran has been looking to diversify its relations since the United States unilaterally abandoned the nuclear deal with Iran in 2018.

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Iranian president to visit Kenya in three-day Africa tour

Tehran's foreign ministry described africa as a 'continent of opportunities'.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi will visit Kenya on Wednesday after his trip was delayed for unspecified reasons. Reuters

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is to visit Kenya on Wednesday as Tehran eyes closer ties with African nations.

Mr Raisi's visit was delayed by a day for unspecified reasons, with the president failing to appear at a press briefing.

The three-day trip to Kenya, Uganda and Zimbabwe is first visit to Africa by an Iranian leader in 11 years.

It comes as Tehran looks to develop its international presence in the shadow of US and European sanctions, which have increased amid its weapon supplies to Russia and crackdown on anti-regime protesters, more than 500 of whom have been killed since September.

Last week, it joined the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation with China and Russia, and restored ties with Saudi Arabia in March after a seven-year rift.

Mr Raisi was scheduled to hold a press conference with Kenyan President William Ruto on Tuesday morning, but neither showed up.

The Kenyan government later confirmed he would arrive on Wednesday, when the presidents will hold bilateral talks and finalise agreements between the two countries.

There was no reason given for the delay, and no immediate comment from Tehran.

Mr Raisi's visit to Uganda "is aimed at strengthening cooperation and trade," a spokesman for Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni told AFP.

On Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani told reporters that Africa was a “continent of opportunities," describing the trip as a "new starting point" on various fronts.

Senior businesspeople will join the presidential delegation on the trip, which will also involve attending a business forum in Uganda, Mr Kanani said.

The president will also meet his Zimbabwean counterpart Emmerson Mnangagwa.

He met with Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf on Saturday, and has also sought to rekindle relations with Egypt and Morocco.

In June, Mr Raisi undertook a Latin American tour that included Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba before travelling to Indonesia.

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Iran President Raisi to visit Kenya for bilateral talks

The meeting was meant to take place on tuesday but was rescheduled.

President Raisi and President William Ruto will have a meeting in the State House at 7.00 am.

He will, thereafter, proceed to lay a wreath at the Mausoleum of the late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta before proceeding to tour other African countries.

Bilateral talks between Kenya and Iran to proceed as President Ebrahim Raisi is expected to land in the country on Wednesday.

The meeting was meant to take place on Tuesday but was rescheduled 

However, in a statement, Foreign Affairs CS Alfred Mutua clarified that President Raisi was scheduled to arrive in the country for a visit on Wednesday morning.

"The schedule of the President has now been reviewed to allow for the finalization of key MoUs that are central to the furtherance of relations. The Iranian President will now arrive tomorrow for a State Visit," he said.

The visit will provide the two countries with an opportunity to review and re-energize their bilateral relations for the mutual benefit of the people of the two countries.

Iran President to meet Ruto on Tuesday in 3-day Africa tour

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Iran's President Begins a Rare Visit to Africa 'To Promote Economic Diplomacy'

Iran’s president has begun a rare visit to Africa as his country under heavy U.S. economic sanctions seeks to deepen partnerships around the world

Iran's President Begins a Rare Visit to Africa 'To Promote Economic Diplomacy'

Khalil Senosi

Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi, left, and Kenya's President William Ruto, right, give a joint press conference after meeting at State House in Nairobi, Kenya, Wednesday, July 12, 2023. Iran's president has begun a rare visit to Africa as the country, which is under heavy U.S. economic sanctions, seeks to deepen partnerships around the world. (AP Photo/Khalil Senosi)

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Iran’s president has begun a rare visit to Africa as his country, which is under heavy U.S. economic sanctions, seeks to deepen partnerships around the world.

President Ebrahim Raisi’s visit to Kenya on Wednesday is the first to the African continent by an Iranian leader in more than a decade. He is also expected to visit Uganda and Zimbabwe and meet with the presidents there.

Africa is a “continent of opportunities” and a great platform for Iranian products, Raisi told journalists in a briefing. He didn't take questions. “None of us is satisfied with the current volume of trade," he said.

Iran's leader specifically mentioned Africa's mineral resources and Iran's petrochemical experience, but the five memoranda of understanding signed on Wednesday by the Islamic Republic and Kenya appeared not to address either one. Instead, they addressed information, communication and technology; fisheries; animal health and livestock production and investment promotion.

Kenyan President William Ruto called Iran a “critical strategic partner” and “global innovation powerhouse.” He expressed interest in expanding Kenya's agricultural exports to Iran and Central Asia well beyond tea.

Iran also intends to set up a manufacturing plant for Iranian vehicles in Kenya's port city of Mombasa, Ruto said,

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Raisi’s Africa visit is meant to “promote economic diplomacy, strengthen political relations with friendly and aligned countries, and diversify the export destinations,” Iran’s foreign ministry said in a statement upon his arrival.

Last month, Iran’s leader made his first visit to Latin America, stopping in Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua.

In March, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to re-establish diplomatic ties in a major diplomatic breakthrough.

Iran is in a growing standoff with Western nations over its nuclear program, which has made major advances in the five years since then-U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew his country from an international agreement that restricted it. Trump also restored sanctions on Iran that have contributed to a severe economic crisis.

The U.S. last month accused Iran of providing Russia with materials to build a drone manufacturing plant as Moscow seeks weaponry for its ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Iran has said it provided drones to Russia before the start of the war but not since.

Kenya is East Africa’s economic hub and an ally of the U.S., with President Joe Biden’s wife, Jill, visiting the country early this year. Last year, the U.S. and Kenya signed a memorandum of understanding on “strategic civil nuclear cooperation.” Kenya has expressed interest in using nuclear power for energy production.

Under Ruto, Kenya is struggling with debt and rising cost of living, with more protests expected on Wednesday in the capital, Nairobi, and elsewhere.

Few details have been released about the Iranian leader's visit to Uganda and Zimbabwe.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, a U.S. ally on security matters, has previously voiced support for Iran’s controversial nuclear program. During a 2010 visit by former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Museveni asserted that all sovereign countries had a right to pursue peaceful nuclear programs even as he urged the eradication of all nuclear arsenals.

Uganda is trying to set up a nuclear power plant that authorities this year said would be generating electricity by 2031. The plant, which is being developed with the technical support of the China National Nuclear Corporation, would exploit the East African country’s substantial deposits of uranium.

Zimbabwe, like Iran, is under U.S. sanctions. A ministerial delegation from Zimbabwe visited Tehran early this year and agreed to deepen cooperation in areas includiung petroleum trade.

Associated Press writers Rodney Muhumuza in Kampala, Uganda, and Farai Mutsaka in Harare, Zimbabwe, contributed to this report.

Copyright 2023 The  Associated Press . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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How the Iranian President and Kenya Signed Agreements to Strengthen Bilateral Ties

Faridah N Kulumba

Africa-Press – Kenya. The Islamic Republic of Iran President Ebrahim Raisi on 12th July this year started his three-country tour of Africa from Kenya where he was received by Kenyan President William Ruto in seeking to strengthen diplomatic and trade links on the African continent.

President Raisi’s tour to Kenya, Uganda, and Zimbabwe was the first by an Iranian president in the past 11 years. The last visit by an Iranian leader to Africa was by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2013.

Raisi’s tour represents a bid to diversify economic ties in the face of crippling United States (U.S.) sanctions. The visit comes as the Islamic Republic tries to shore up diplomatic support to ease its international isolation.

President Ruto and his Iranian counterpart Raisi signed agreements to increase cooperation on information and technology, fisheries, animal health, livestock products, and investment promotion.

Vows to strengthen governments ties

President Raisi described his visit to Kenya as a turning point in the development of relations between the two countries.

According to President Raisi the discussions and exchanges Iran had with Kenya during his tour, registered the determination of both countries for expansion of economic and trade cooperation, political cooperation, and cultural cooperation between the two countries.

He hoped that the relevant authorities and officials in both countries could exercise a lot of effort in order to provide the groundwork for further cooperation of relations between the two countries, which could also lead to the development of regional cooperation.

On the other hand, President Ruto described Iran as “a critical strategic partner for Kenya” and said the two governments had signed five Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) focusing on areas including information technology, investment promotion, and fisheries.

According to President Ruto, the five MoUs that were signed will enhance and further deepen the two nation’s bilateral relations for sustainable growth and development between the two countries.

Tour fruits

Kenyan President Ruto revealed that The government of Iran intends to set up a motor vehicle assembly plant in Mombasa to manufacture an indigenous Iranian vehicle that has now been given the Kiswahili name ‘Kifaru,’ meaning rhino, and I hope.

President Ruto also sought Raisi’s commitment to facilitate the export of more Kenyan tea, meat, and other agricultural products to Iran and via Iran to Central Asian countries.

The current government of Kenya Under President Ruto’s administration is struggling with debt and rising living costs. Opposition leader Raila Odinga, who lost last year’s election to President William Ruto, has repeatedly called on Kenyans to protest as the country struggles with debt and rising prices.

On Wednesday Kenyan police officers shot dead six people and more than 50 schoolchildren were tear-gassed during the new protests in the country against the rising cost of living.

The opposition leader behind the demonstrations vowed they would continue until a new law imposing more taxes is repealed.

The government of Iran said it expects trade with African countries to increase to more than USD 2 billion this year, according to the country’s foreign ministry.

Iranian government stepped up its diplomatic outreach to developing world countries after then-U.S. President Donald Trump ditched a nuclear pact in 2018 and reimposed sanctions.

In June this year, Raisi visited Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua to shore up support with allies also saddled with US sanctions.

The Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Kenya have in the past continued to cooperate which hasn’t always been viewed favorably by the West. The two nations have signed numerous MoUs including a deal to export 4 million tonnes of oil to Kenya annually, direct flights between Tehran and Nairobi, and scholarships for Kenyans to pursue higher education in Iran.

All of these agreements were signed during the visit by Iran’s President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Kenya in 2009.

The President of Kenya Ruto during Mr. Raisi’s visit to the country said stronger collaboration with Iran is important for the Kenyan economy, and that trade volumes between their nations have increased.

Ruto also said Kenya is highly encouraged by the great interest shown by Iran in promoting technological and entrepreneurial innovation among Kenyan youth by promoting the incubation of Kenyan startups and creative industry through the Iran House Innovation and Technology Center.

Exports from Kenya to Iran in 2012 stood at KES. 1.95 billion (EUR. 18.3 million) while the value of imports from Iran to Kenya stood at KES. 3.67 billion (EUR. 34.5 million). Kenya’s Foreign Cabinet Secretary stated that many powerful countries in the world still maintained trade relations with Iran and that both countries would keep trading.

Iran is one of the largest buyers of Kenyan tea. Kenya increased its tea exports to Iran from 2 million kilos to 10 million kilos over a five-year period. Demand for tea in Iran stands at 116 million kilos, with Iran only producing 20 million kilos. Kenya sells about 20 percent of its tea to Iran.

Kenya exported tea worth 28.4 million U.S. dollars, about 4 billion shillings, to Tehran in the first quarter of this year, which is an eight-fold increase from sales from the same period last year.

For More News And Analysis About Kenya Follow Africa-Press

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OPINION: Why Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's visit to Kenya offers opportunities and challenges

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi meets with Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (not pictured) on the sidelines of the Cica Summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, October 13, 2022. Iran's President Website/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS

The old adage goes, there are no permanent friends or enemies in international relations.

Kenya-Iranian relations are no different. Kenya has had some rocky moments in its relations with Iran, especially the jailing of Ahmed Mohamed and Sayed Mousavi in 2012 on charges of plotting to attack Israel and American interests in Kenya.

Their release in late 2022, is a harbinger to the warming relations between the two countries encapsulated by the visit by President Ebrahim Raisi.

The July 11 scheduled visit by Raisi illustrates Kenya's effort to do three things; First, to advance its economic interests by accessing cheap Iranian oil in tough economic times.

Second, to foster its emphasis on relations between developing nations (South-South cooperation) and lastly, to diversify the range and scale of Kenya's diplomatic infrastructure away from its reliance on the US/EU or China to other regional players like Iran that also have significant regional and international influence.

The economic uncertainty due to the rising price of oil, the appreciating dollar relative to the Kenya shilling and the escalating Ukraine-Russia war, make the world a dangerous and unpredictable place.

Reaching out to Iran through this visit provides an alternative conduit to mitigate against risk in the international system.

South-South relations are central to Kenya-Iranian relations. While previous relations between the two countries might have been strained, this visit offers an opportunity to change that.

Iran is isolated by not only the US but more generally by the European Union. Iran needs friends.

It needs the African votes on the UN General Assembly to vote against or abstain from votes that sanction it. Kenya provides one of these votes and regional diplomatic influence.

Kenya also provides the diplomatic network Iran needs to counter some of the isolation it faces from the West. Kenya can act as a global interlocutor to connect Iran to Kenya's Western allies that might not want to deal directly with Iran.

As both Kenya and Iran are developing nations and members of the global south, this visit by the president of Iran, is a win-win for both nations.

The state visit by Raisi also helps Kenya diversify its diplomatic infrastructure away from its reliance on the US/EU or China.

As an anchor state in the Horn of Africa and a centre of global diplomacy via UNEP/Habitat, multinational and Civil Society Organization networks, Kenya offers Iran significant diplomatic leverage.

While Iran is ostracized, isolated and labelled a state sponsor of terror by the US, these types of visits help push back against the construction of international images of Iran as a pariah state and state sponsor of terror.

However, this visit does come with significant perils. One is antagonizing the traditionally good relations Kenya has with its allies.

If Kenya is seen to be too close to Iran, it can complicate relations with the US, the EU or even Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Egypt and Saudi Arabia fear Iran uses its radical revolutionary Islamic ideology to fund and inspire global terror networks that want to topple the Saudi monarchy, bring the Muslim Brotherhood back to Egypt and attack US and EU interests in the Middle East via non-state actors like Hezbollah.

Kenya sits in between a delicate and potentially explosive relationship between Iran and its global adversaries.

Kenya also risks the challenge of an ambiguous and contradictory foreign policy by reaching out to Iran.

On one hand, condemning global terrorism, yet on the other, cosying up to a state like Iran that is accused of backing terrorist groups like Hezbollah in Syria and Lebanon.

This not only hurts Kenya's image abroad but also raises questions about Kenya's commitment to fight global terror.

We live in interesting times. This presidential visit from Iran to Kenya complicates things more.

Prof. Monda teaches political science and international affairs at the City University of New York.  @dmonda1 davidmonda.com

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Israel-Iran war: What it means for Kenya and Nairobi’s dilemma

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Peter Kenyon

After Iran's unprecedented but largely ineffective attack against Israel, international leaders are calling on Israel to show restraint and to be wary of it spiraling into a broader regional conflict.

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

World leaders are calling on Israel to show restraint after Iran's unprecedented but largely ineffective airstrikes over the weekend. They are wary of these attacks spiraling into a broader regional conflict.

A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby emphasized that Iran intended to cause, quote, "significant destruction and casualties."

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

JOHN KIRBY: Iranian leaders launched so many missiles and other munitions because they knew that many were going to be defeated, but the aim was to get as many of them through Israel's defenses as possible.

MARTÍNEZ: And Israel's military chief of staff says a response will be coming, but didn't say when or how.

MARTIN: NPR's Peter Kenyon is following developments from Istanbul. Good morning Peter.

PETER KENYON, BYLINE: Hello.

MARTIN: So, Peter, Israel and the United States have made a point of letting the world know that their forces, along with some others, shot down 99% of Iran's missiles and drones. So what are the Iranians saying about this?

KENYON: Well, perhaps a bit surprisingly, given the failure of the Iranian attack to cause really significant damage, officials in Tehran from the president on down have been lavish with their praise for the operation. They're calling it a huge success. President Ebrahim Raisi said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC, had taught a lesson to the Zionist entity - that's how Iran sometimes refers to Israel - and IRNA, the state news agency, quoted an Iranian lawmaker, Mojtaba Zul-Nuri, as saying the IRGC's punitive operation was a victory and a cause of pride for the people as it humiliated the Israeli regime.

MARTIN: OK, so we're calling this unprecedented because this was a direct attack on Israeli territory. Why did Iran feel it had to respond in such a dramatic manner?

KENYON: Well, Iran has long been committed to responding to any attacks against it, but usually it does so through its proxies in the region. After this airstrike on its consulate building in Damascus, which Iran blames on Israel, Tehran condemned what it called a major violation of international law. Iran also may have recalled the U.S. assassination of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad in 2020, perhaps seeing a need for a show of strength to try and deter future strikes. Now, Iranian officials weren't alone in protesting the Damascus strike. The U.N. secretary general, Antonio Guterres, strongly condemned the attack. He called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and added that neither the region nor the world can afford another war.

MARTIN: So let me go back to that strike. Has Israel taken credit for it, and how has Israel justified it?

KENYON: Well, Israel said the strike took out a key IRGC general who had played an important role in getting weapons to Iran's proxy militia, Hezbollah in Lebanon, which has been exchanging fire with Israel in the north. So that was their explanation.

MARTIN: So the U.S. and other countries are urging Israel not to respond. They're also looking at sanctions on Iran, which is already under a sanctions regime. So, Peter, do we have any sense of how effective further sanctions would actually be?

KENYON: Well, good question. Western countries have been levying sanctions on Iran for many years now. They do cause economic pain among ordinary Iranians, primarily. Whether they change Tehran's behavior is another question.

MARTIN: And before we let you go, Peter, how are other countries viewing Iran after the attack?

KENYON: Well, Iran finds itself diplomatically isolated even among countries that are not necessarily friendly with Israel. Russia does still support Tehran. That's very important to Iran. Moscow has a veto at the U.N. Security Council, for one thing, and China has generally followed Russia's lead when it comes to Iran. But in the region, many of Iran's neighbors have no love for the Islamic Republic or its proxy militias, Hezbollah in Lebanon or the Houthis in Yemen. Now, Jordan, for instance, helped shoot down some of the Iranian drones and missiles Iran fired at Israel Sunday. Saudi Arabia is another important U.S. ally. And we should note that Hamas was badly hurt by the Israeli attack in the Gaza Strip. So that reduces Iran's ability to cause damage.

MARTIN: That is NPR's Peter Kenyon in Istanbul. Peter, thank you.

KENYON: Thanks, Michel.

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Pakistan says Iran's President Raisi will visit next week despite tensions in the Middle East

Pakistan's foreign minister says Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi will arrive in Islamabad on a previously scheduled visit next week despite increasing tension in the wake of Tehran’s attack on Israel

ISLAMABAD -- Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi will visit Pakistan as scheduled next week despite increasing tension in the Middle East in the wake of Tehran's aerial attack on Israel, Pakistan's foreign minister said Thursday.

Ishaq Dar said Raisi will arrive in the capital, Islamabad, on April 22 on an official three-day visit.

Dar provided no further details, but the visit seems to be part of efforts by the two sides to mend ties which had briefly been strained in January, when Tehran and Islamabad carried out tit-for-tat strikes targeting militants accused of attacking each other's security forces.

But the two sides soon agreed to work together to improve security cooperation.

The visit was announced days after Iran launched unprecedented air strikes on Israel after a suspected Israeli strike in Syria killed two Iranian generals in an Iranian consular building.

Pakistan is among the countries that has no diplomatic relations with Israel because of the lingering issue of Palestinian statehood. Dar said Pakistan wants the issue to be settled according to U.N. resolutions.

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