Relationship dossier
Iran
Serbia
Relationship assessment
Iran backs Serbia’s territorial-integrity position, while bilateral cooperation remains limited.
Iran toward Serbia
+25Iran has supported Serbia’s territorial integrity and has not recognized Kosovo’s independence, aligning with Serbia’s position on Kosovo. Iranian officials have also pursued bilateral engagement with Serbia, including diplomatic and economic cooperation.
Serbia toward Iran
+15Serbia has engaged Iran through bilateral diplomacy and agreed to visa-free travel for Iranian citizens in 2017. Serbia revoked that exemption in 2018, limiting this aspect of cooperation.
Overall relationship
+20The relationship combines Iran’s support for Serbia’s territorial-integrity position with periodic diplomatic and economic engagement. The visa-free arrangement and its subsequent revocation illustrate cooperation that has been limited and subject to change; the relationship is not characterized by a close, sustained partnership.
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 has supported Serbia’s territorial integrity and does not recognize Kosovo’s independence, a position aligned with a central Serbian foreign-policy concern. The two governments have also pursued diplomatic and economic cooperation, including a visa-free travel arrangement that Serbia later revoked. These ties reflect practical cooperation but do not indicate a close or extensive partnership.
Key developments
Serbia and Iran agreed to visa-free travel for citizens of the two countries.
Serbia revoked visa-free entry for Iranian citizens.
Major uncertainties
- The extent and implementation of bilateral economic cooperation are unclear.
- The current scope of bilateral travel and visa arrangements is unclear.