Relationship dossier
Iran
Zambia
Relationship assessment
Iran and Zambia have pursued modest practical cooperation, including agreements signed during a 2023 presidential visit.
Iran toward Zambia
+20Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi visited Zambia in 2023, and the two governments signed cooperation agreements during the visit, advancing Iran’s economic and diplomatic engagement with Zambia.
Zambia toward Iran
+20Zambia hosted Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in 2023 and entered into cooperation agreements with Iran during the visit.
Overall relationship
+20The relationship has included practical government cooperation through agreements signed during Raisi’s 2023 visit to Zambia. This provides a concrete basis for a modestly positive overall assessment, but the extent and durability of the cooperation are 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 Zambia have pursued practical cooperation, including agreements signed during Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s 2023 visit to Zambia. The visit formed part of Iran’s effort to expand economic and diplomatic engagement in Africa. The known cooperation supports a modestly positive assessment, though its implementation and breadth are unclear.
Key developments
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi visited Zambia, and the governments signed cooperation agreements.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of agreements signed during Raisi’s 2023 visit are unclear.
- The scale and continuity of subsequent government-to-government cooperation are uncertain.