Iranian Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najar signed a memorandum of understanding with Leonid Maltsev, his Belorussian counterpart, yesterday. According to UPI, “the agreement formalizes the development of relations between Iran and Belarus, emphasizing expanding and solidifying defense ties between the countries.” Belarus is often referred to as Europe’s last dictatorship, and Condoleezza Rice included the country in a list of six “outposts of tyranny” during her confirmation hearings in early 2005. Iran has been a lucrative market for military exports from Belarus, which include tanks, artillery, and APCs, and Belarus has offered outspoken support for Iran’s nuclear program in exchange. The Bush administration accused Belarus of selling military communication equipment to Iraq prior to the 2003 invasion and in violation of a U.N. embargo, so it seems unlikely there is any limit to the support Belarus might offer Iran in the absence of any international sanctions regime. Of course this is just the latest example of Iran cozying up to the world’s most offensive regimes. Said Ahmadinejad, “In the light of their current abundant potentials, Iran and Belarus can complement each other in different areas.” Causing trouble seems to be the only thing for which these two regimes have “abundant potential.”
Belarus Defense Minister Leonid Maltsev and his Iranian counterpart Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar; from IRNA.
