Relationship dossier
Iran
Nicaragua
Relationship assessment
Political solidarity and agreements underpin Iran–Nicaragua cooperation
Iran toward Nicaragua
+45Iran has pursued economic and technical cooperation with Nicaragua through bilateral agreements and presidential engagement. President Ebrahim Raisi’s 2023 visit to Managua included agreements in areas such as trade and health; the implementation and scale of resulting cooperation are unclear.
Nicaragua toward Iran
+40Nicaragua has engaged Iran through high-level visits and bilateral agreements, including agreements signed during President Ebrahim Raisi’s 2023 visit to Managua. The Nicaraguan government has also expressed political solidarity with Iran; the scope of practical cooperation is unclear.
Overall relationship
+45The relationship is characterized by political alignment and repeated efforts to establish economic and technical cooperation, including bilateral agreements and high-level engagement. These features support a cooperative overall assessment, while uncertainty about agreement implementation and the breadth of sustained practical cooperation limits the strength of that conclusion.
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
Iran and Nicaragua have cultivated political ties and pursued economic and technical cooperation, including through presidential visits and bilateral agreements. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s 2023 visit to Managua produced agreements covering areas including trade and health. The relationship also features political solidarity between the governments, though the scale and implementation of economic cooperation are unclear.
Key developments
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited Nicaragua and the governments announced cooperation and investment plans.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi visited Managua, where the governments signed agreements covering areas including trade and health.
Major uncertainties
- The implementation and economic impact of agreements signed during presidential visits are unclear.
- The scope of ongoing bilateral cooperation beyond announced agreements is uncertain.