Making sense of Iran’s latest Africa push

After committing much of its diplomatic efforts and political capital to normalize ties with Gulf Arab countries, Tehran has now placed Africa among its top foreign policy priorities, seeking more trade flows, geopolitical alignment, and military cooperation. This trend has created somewhat of a frenzy in Western circles which fear Iran might pursue “nefarious activities” in the region in conjunction with Russia, notably in the Sahel. These concerns are generally moot considering the low capabilities and inexperience of Tehran, but any Africa observer is to get used to increased engagement with the continent by Iran.