Iran and Gambia have officially restored diplomatic relations, ending a 14-year hiatus. This decision, aimed at serving the mutual interests of both countries, was confirmed in a joint statement released following a meeting between Iran’s Acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani and Gambia’s Foreign Minister Mamadou Tangara in Tehran.
Tangara, in Tehran to attend the inauguration of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, participated in discussions that emphasised the development of cordial relations based on mutual respect, equality, and shared interests. The two sides agreed to enhance cooperation across political, economic, investment, trade, and cultural sectors.
To expedite the diplomatic process, the embassies of both countries in Dakar, Senegal, will facilitate the necessary measures, IRNA reports.
The West African nation severed ties with Iran in November 2010 after Nigeria intercepted an arms shipment from Iran allegedly destined for Gambia. Despite Tehran’s insistence that the shipment complied with international law, Banjul denied involvement and cut relations, with Iran attributing the decision to US pressure.
In 2013, Iranian national Azim Aghajani, an alleged member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), was sentenced to five years in prison, along with a Nigerian accomplice, for smuggling arms, including rockets, mortars, and grenades, which were seized from a ship docked in Lagos three years earlier and were reportedly destined for Gambia.