Relationship dossier
Cuba
Iran
Relationship assessment
Cuba and Iran combine political support with cooperation in biotechnology, health and other fields.
Cuba toward Iran
+45Cuba has supported Iran's right to peaceful nuclear technology and pursued bilateral cooperation, including biotechnology and vaccine development. Cuban leaders have also engaged in high-level exchanges and agreements with Iranian officials.
Iran toward Cuba
+45Iran has opposed the US embargo on Cuba and pursued bilateral agreements and high-level exchanges with the Cuban government. Iranian and Cuban institutions have cooperated on biotechnology and vaccine production.
Overall relationship
+45The relationship rests on sustained political alignment and practical cooperation, including biotechnology and vaccine work and agreements across several sectors. Mutual support on prominent international disputes reinforces the partnership, although the extent to which announced agreements have been implemented is not always clear.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Cuba and Iran maintain a close political relationship reinforced by practical cooperation. Their governments have supported one another's positions on issues including the US embargo on Cuba and Iran's nuclear rights. Cooperation has also included biotechnology and vaccine development, as well as agreements covering areas such as health, trade and technology. The relationship is cooperative, though the scope and implementation of some announced agreements are unclear.
Key developments
Cuban and Iranian institutions cooperated on COVID-19 vaccine development and production, including the Cuban Soberana 02 vaccine and its production in Iran.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi visited Cuba, where the two governments signed agreements covering several areas of cooperation.
Major uncertainties
- The implementation and continuing scope of agreements announced during high-level visits are unclear.
- The scale and durability of joint biotechnology and vaccine production are uncertain.