Tanzania-Iran Foreign Relations

Nuclear:

Tanzania supports Iran’s nuclear program in public rhetoric, provided that Iranian efforts are for peaceful purposes. Tanzanian Vice President Ali Mohamed Shein said that Tanzania is, "totally opposed to any move by Iran to develop nuclear weapons.”[1] Shein made the comments at a 2007 news conference at the Julius Nyerere International Airport that nuclear development, if not used for peaceful purposes, could adversely affect mankind and Tanzania would join the rest of the international community to condemn such actions.[2]

Economic Relationship:

Iran and Tanzania have developed bilateral ties through joint economic commissions in recent years. In May 2006, Iran's Ambassador to Tanzania Abbas Vaezi met with Tanzanian Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism Anthony Diallo. Both ministers discussed ways of expanding bilateral cooperation in the fields of tourism and natural resources.[3] Minister Vaezi stated that both countries can benefit from helping each other develop tourism activities and exchanging information in the fields of natural resources and the preservation of archaeological sites.[4]  In October 2008, Iran and Tanzania signed a memorandum of understanding on economic cooperation that covered covering a wide range of fields, including energy, infrastructure, banking and investments.[5]

In May 2009, Iran's First Vice President Parviz Davoudi toured Tanzania and announced Iran’s intention to establish agricultural jihad offices in Zanzibar City and Dar es-Salaam.[6] While in Tanzania, Davoudi met Tanzanian President Mwalimu Julius Nyerere and reviewed bilateral and international policies and private sector investment.[7]

In January 2010, Iranian and Tanzanian officials signed a Memorandum of Understanding concerning economic cooperation in the fishery, cement production and meat processing industries.[8]

Diplomatic/Military Relationship:

Tanzania and Iran have historically maintained stable bilateral relations. Iran’s Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi-Shahroudi issued a statement in 2007 that Iran sought to collaborate with other Islamic states on matters of jurisprudence.[9] Illustrating this stated goal, Ayatollah Shahroudi met with Tanzanian Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Mary Michale Nagu to explore how Iran and Tanzania could expand legal and judicial cooperation.[10] Minister Nagu stressed her nation’s preparedness to pursue this endeavor.[11]

Increasing bilateral ties between Iran and Tanzania have recently facilitated military cooperation. In January 2009, Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Mostafa Mohammad Najjar, meeting with the Tanzanian defense minister Hussein Mwinyi, expressed Iran’s readiness to sell Tanzania military technology and share its defense experiences.[12] The meeting produced a formal deal for future military and defense cooperation between Iran and Tanzania.[13]