Africa seeks serious cooperation with Iran: Analyst

Press TV has interviewed Seyed Mostafa Khoshcheshm, a journalist and political analyst, about Iran and South Africa calling for strengthening “intelligence and political” cooperation in a genuine fight against violence and terrorism.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: The two Presidents of Iran and South Africa in their meeting today both stated that the potential is high in various fields with regards to cooperation between the two countries. Walk us through what was said today.

Khoshcheshm: Well ever since President Khatami Iran has been looking to the East for a major part of its economy and foreign policy and also Africa, the entire African continent has had a very special position in place in Iran’s foreign policy and economy. This look, it grew under President Ahmadinejad especially. Iran has very rich mineral resources. It is located in a very strategic position. It is a very important chunk of the Silk Road. It has been always there for several thousand years and also it has very young educated workforce, skillful workforce and it has an untapped market after a decade-long sanctions and some even in the West call Iran as the last very lucrative market which can provide you with huge interest in the world.

Now every country following the nuclear deal has been dispatching delegation to Tehran in order to win a share of this lucrative market. Africans do not want to stay behind others. That is one point and Iran has a lot to offer to them. Remember that Iran is a pioneering state in the world in stem cell technology and many other various areas of technologies. And also we can just point to the joint venture of two private firms in Iran and Africa, the MTN Irancell, that’s very huge cooperation in Iran which has been making a lot of benefits under the sanctions even and has a major say in Iran’s telecommunication and mobile industry.

The same is true with Africa. Africa has untapped potentials for Iran, for Iranian dam makers. Iran is a pioneering state among the first three world states in dam construction and also Iran has been pursuing various projects in agriculture in Africa especially in irrigation and exporting irrigation, modern irrigation technologies to that continent which is short of water. That is one part.

The other part is about terrorism. The other day President Rouhani mentioned that if it was not for Iran, then Daesh, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, it would have a state, it would have established its own state in a part of the Middle East and we would have witnessed a new map in the Middle East. It was for Iran that they failed to do so.

Now they have stretched their threat to East Africa, to Libya. They have deployed troops in there. Algerian army just last week went on the alert because of increased activities of Daesh in there. Also we have terrorism on the growth in Nigeria. Just a few months ago the Nigerian government killed according to the latest report of Amnesty International, they killed a thousand unarmed Shias in there. Also in the Central African Republic you have terrorist groups, Christian terrorist groups that have been killing Muslims.

Again in Nigeria you have Boko Haram that renewed allegiance or expressed allegiance to Daesh only last year and also along the coast of Somalia you have pirates that were quelled by the Iranian Navy and their threats [were] pushed back by the Iranian Navy not only the threats to the Iranian tankers and trade ships but also to foreign vessels. And the Africans especially South Africa is feeling, all African states, they are feeling the threat of terrorism and they know that it is on growth in their continent.

Many believe that Africa will be entangled in a very bloody war of terrorism in the next decade, the same thing which is being experienced in the Middle East right now and they know that Iran has very good experience in fighting terrorism especially the Wahhabi driven terrorism, Daesh, and its offshoots in various parts of the world. Iran is the pioneering state in fighting Daesh and Takfiri and Wahhabi driven terrorism.

So they want to start cooperation, serious cooperation with Iran and everything starts with intelligence sharing, the same thing that happened in Iraq with the alliance of Iran, Iraq, Syria, Russia and Hezbollah that has had very good success so far.

Press TV: In the joint press conference that was held earlier today in Tehran, Jacob Zuma said something to the effect that how South Africa was inspired by Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution and he thanked Iranians for standing by the people of South Africa in their struggle against apartheid. Give us your perspective on those comments and what they show about Iran’s position in global politics?

Khoshcheshm: The same is true in here. I mean we also appreciate Nelson Mandela for his stance, the late Mandela, his stance towards Israel, the occupying regime and its suppression of the Palestinian nation, he supported them as well.

This is basic human value. Apartheid is recognized as a violation of human rights. It is against humanity. No matter it is in South Africa or in Israel, wherever it is according to Iranian and Islamic values it is rejected and everybody should stand up to it. The same happened when Iran was among, I believe, the first few states that rejected ties with the apartheid regime in South Africa and Nelson Mandela did the same. He always rejected the Israeli regime as an occupying force that is quelling the Palestinians and usurping their rights. So both sides understand each other very well in this regard.

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