Iran and Belarus reached an agreement to conclude a treaty on strategic cooperation during talks in Minsk on Wednesday, as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian pledged closer ties with Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko to counter Western sanctions.
“Iran and Belarus support each other on the international stage, which is highly valuable and important. We cooperate on the basis of mutual trust and respect," Pezeshkian said during expanded-format negotiations, cited by the state-run BelTA news agency.
Iran is "ready to cooperate" with Belarus "to neutralise illegal Western sanctions,” he added.
The current level of economic ties does not yet match the level of political trust between the two capitals, the Iranian president noted.
He thanked Lukashenko for his “firm and substantive” position on the attacks against Iranian nuclear facilities by the US and Israel.
“They attacked our peaceful nuclear facilities. Your speech at the EAEU (Eurasian Economic Union) summit was very substantive,” he told the Belarusian leader, citing Minsk’s reference to the Chernobyl disaster while condemning the strikes.
Pezeshkian stressed that Tehran has “never started a war against anyone,” but must respond when attacked, calling the raids a violation of international norms.
He underlined that Minsk and Tehran hold “common positions and views on issues of global importance,” pointing to cooperation in the EAEU, BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa), and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
He said these platforms, along with bilateral efforts, allow the two countries to resist “unilateral destructive approaches by the United States and its allies.”
Lukashenko, for his part, described Western sanctions against Belarus and Iran as “economic terrorism,” saying both countries strive to build a multipolar world where sovereign states decide their own path.
He added that the two nations are already countering the “hypocritical sanctions war” within the UN, SCO, and BRICS.
“Let us be frank, we are just confidently moving forward, whereas in the current situation we need not to walk but to run,” Lukashenko said, urging a dramatic acceleration of cooperation.
He noted that bilateral trade had increased fivefold over the past five years, with a third of that growth occurring in 2025 despite difficult conditions.
Belarus, he said, is ready to establish joint production facilities for tractors, quarry machinery, and agricultural equipment in Iran, and to expand cooperation in banking, transportation, science, and technology.
He also highlighted the importance of humanitarian and cultural exchanges, saying preparations were under way to hold the Days of Belarusian Culture in Iran.
“Our cooperation is the foundation for a strategic partnership and a contribution to stability in this turbulent world,” he stressed.
Both sides announced plans to prepare and sign a treaty on strategic cooperation in the near future. Lukashenko said the outcome of the Minsk talks created “good conditions for positive shifts” in bilateral interaction.
Belarus also reaffirmed its support for Iran’s right to develop peaceful nuclear energy under the IAEA supervision.
Lukashenko warned that strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities threatened international stability, saying “wisdom and foresight must prevail over emotions and prejudices.”
The talks also covered growing demand in Iran for Belarusian industrial products such as fertilisers, woodworking goods, and chemical exports, while Belarus continues to import Iranian fruits, nuts, and medical technology.
Both leaders emphasised that developing trade through the EAEU free trade agreement with Iran and using alternative logistics routes linking Russia, Armenia, Iran, and the Persian Gulf would help expand markets and reduce dependence on Western-controlled channels.
