Relationship dossier
Iran
Nigeria
Relationship assessment
Bilateral engagement and economic cooperation alongside friction over a 2010 arms shipment
Iran toward Nigeria
+10Iran has engaged Nigeria in bilateral dialogue and economic cooperation, including through a joint commission and high-level contacts. A 2010 arms shipment originating from Iran and seized in Nigeria strained relations; the extent of Iranian government involvement is unclear.
Nigeria toward Iran
+10Nigeria has engaged Iran through bilateral dialogue and economic cooperation, including a joint commission and high-level contacts. Nigerian authorities seized an arms shipment originating from Iran in 2010 and investigated Iranian nationals connected to it.
Overall relationship
+10The relationship combines bilateral dialogue and economic cooperation with a serious episode of friction over the 2010 arms shipment seized by Nigeria. The scope and durability of cooperative arrangements, and the extent of Iranian government involvement in the shipment, remain unclear.
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 Nigeria have pursued bilateral dialogue and economic cooperation, including a joint commission and high-level engagement. Relations were also affected by Nigeria’s 2010 seizure of an arms shipment originating from Iran and the investigation of Iranian nationals. The extent of Iranian government involvement in that shipment is unclear.
Areas of tension
- Nigeria’s 2010 seizure of an arms shipment originating from Iran and the ensuing investigation of Iranian nationals
Key developments
Nigerian authorities seized an arms shipment originating from Iran and investigated Iranian nationals connected to it.
Iran and Nigeria pursued bilateral dialogue and economic cooperation through a joint commission.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral cooperation agreements are unclear.
- The extent of Iranian government involvement in the 2010 arms shipment seized in Nigeria is disputed.