Charting Iran’s Influence in Africa

Although Tehran’s activities in Africa tend to receive far less attention than its machinations in the Middle East, Europe, or Latin America, they form a critical pillar of the Islamic Republic’s global strategy. Iran’s contemporary presence there lags behind that of both Russia and China, each of which is exerting major efforts to expand its strategic footprint on the continent. Nevertheless, Africa is significant for Iran, providing it with a testing ground for its influence operations, a pathway for sanctions evasion, and strategic depth for its foreign policy initiatives. As such, understanding this dimension of Iran’s policy is essential to grasping the full scope of Tehran’s strategic ambitions in the “Global South.”