Belarus and Iran, both friends of Putin, plan to strengthen military and broader ties
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian shake hands during a meeting in Minsk, Belarus, August 20, 2025. Press Service of the President of the Republic of Belarus/Handout via REUTERS
Belarus and Iran - two countries that have backed Russia's war in Ukraine - plan to deepen bilateral ties across all areas including defence, their presidents said at talks in Minsk on Wednesday.
Belarusian state news agency Belta said presidents Alexander Lukashenko and Masoud Pezeshkian agreed to work on a strategic partnership treaty.
"In conditions of geopolitical turbulence, Minsk and Tehran are undertaking consistent and balanced steps to further develop cooperation, and are working hard to turn each new challenge into a new opportunity," it quoted Lukashenko as saying.
"We are ready to discuss any issues, we have no closed topics," Lukashenko said, adding that the two countries could partner across a range of areas including "military-technical cooperation".
Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, allowed Russia to use Belarusian territory as a launchpad for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and later assented to hosting Russian tactical nuclear missiles.
Iran has supplied drones to Russia for use in the war and Pezeshkian signed a strategic cooperation treaty with Putin in January, although it did not include a mutual defence clause.
Both Iran and Belarus are under what Pezeshkian described as "illegal Western sanctions". Belta quoted him as saying Iran was ready to help Belarus "neutralise" such measures, noting that it had more than 40 years of experience in this area.
Pezeshkian said the two countries needed to build their economic and other ties to a level that matched the high level of trust between them.
"Of course, our common views should be implemented in the economic and cultural spheres, in the development of tourism between our countries, and also, as you noted, in the development of military-technical cooperation," Belta quoted him as telling Lukashenko. REUTERS
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Lula, Macron discuss US tariffs, Mercosur-EU deal in phone call
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and French President Emmanuel Macron leave after visiting an exhibition by Brazilian artist Ernesto Neto Friday, June 6, 2025 at the Grand Palais museum in Paris, France. Michel Euler/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo SAO PAULO/PARIS - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva spoke by phone on Wednesday with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron and discussed U.S. tariffs and the Mercosur-European Union trade deal, Brazil's government said in a statement. Lula voiced his opposition to tariffs on Brazilian goods, and the two leaders committed to concluding negotiations on the long-awaited deal between the South American bloc and the EU by the end of the year, the statement said. Lula had previously said he was hopeful the two parties would be able to finalize the deal in the second half, when his country holds the rotating presidency of Mercosur, which also includes Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay. The trade pact was agreed in principle in December, but has faced pushback from countries such as France, which says the deal's terms would harm its agricultural sector. In a post on X, Macron said he reiterated to Lula his readiness for an "ambitious" EU-Mercosur agreement, "as long as it safeguards the interests of our French and European agriculture, and serves our respective economies." "We also spoke at length about economic issues, particularly tariffs, as well as our bilateral cooperation in the fields of defense and transport," Macron added. REUTERS
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Myanmar junta claims town captured, expanding election reach
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The embattled junta plans to hold elections in areas it controls starting on Dec 28, and has been pressing a series of counter-offensives to expand the territory it holds. Yangon - Myanmar's junta said on Aug 20 its troops had captured a key town in the east after a 16-day battle, clawing back rebel-contested territory as it prepares for a disputed December election. Demoso, 105km east of the capital Naypyitaw, has witnessed intense fighting since the military's overthrow of the democratic government in 2021 sparked a civil war. The embattled junta plans to hold elections in areas it controls starting on Dec 28, and has been pressing a series of counter-offensives to expand the territory it holds. The polls have been criticised by international monitors as a tactic to rebrand the rule of the military, which has kept democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi jailed since ousting her. State mouthpiece newspaper the Global New Light of Myanmar said the military captured Demoso township – encompassing the town and surrounding countryside – after a 16-day battle that ended on Aug 19. However, one resident said there was still a constant drumbeat of gunfire, heavy weapons and air strikes and denied that the military had total command of the area. 'The fighting is close and I'm always afraid in my heart whenever I hear explosions,' said 26-year-old Moe Moe. 'We are very worried, especially in the night-time as we can't sleep.' Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore 18 persons nabbed and 82 vapes seized in HSA ops in Raffles Place and Haji Lane Singapore 3 Sengkang Green Primary pupils suspended for bullying schoolmate, with 1 of them caned: MOE Singapore Woman trapped between train doors: Judge rules SBS Transit '100% responsible' Singapore Religion growing in importance for Singaporeans: IPS study Life 'Loss that's irreplaceable': Local film-makers mourn closure of Singapore indie cinema The Projector Singapore COE premiums up in all categories except motorcycles; Cat A price climbs 2.5% to $104,524 Singapore Nearly 2 years' jail, caning for man caught with at least 100 sexually explicit videos of children Singapore Grab users in Singapore shocked by fares of over $1,000 due to display glitch 'If they actually controlled this area we would see them in person, but there are none now near us,' she said. The Global New Light of Myanmar said six bodies were recovered after pro-democracy guerrillas and fighters from ethnic armed organisations in the area were driven out. 'Some of the security force members were wounded and deceased,' it said, without giving further details. A photo showed junta soldiers posing with their rifles aloft in front of a sign reading: 'You are warmly welcomed to Demoso.' More than 130,000 people have been displaced in the state of Kayah, where Demoso sits on the crossroads of two highways branching off from the main route linking Naypyitaw and the commercial capital Yangon. The junta-organised election will be held in phases and is expected to take weeks. Conflict monitors say the run-up is likely to see a further spike in violence as the junta attempts to expand the reach of the vote into enclaves controlled by its opponents. A junta-organised census, held as preparation for the election, failed to contact nearly four out of 10 people in the country of more than 50 million, indicating how limited the poll might be. Some democratic lawmakers ousted in the coup have called for a boycott, while Ms Suu Kyi's immensely popular National League for Democracy party has been dissolved. 'The terrorist military group is attempting to stage an illegitimate and fraudulent election to sustain its grip on power,' the National Unity Government, a self-proclaimed administration in exile, said in a statement. 'All revolutionary groups are urged to stand united with the people in resisting and overcoming this trap,' it said. AFP
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Trump administration imposes fresh sanctions on four ICC officials
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday imposed sanctions on two judges and two prosecutors at the International Criminal Court, as Washington kept up its pressure on the war tribunal over its targeting of Israeli leaders. Washington designated Nicolas Yann Guillou of France, Nazhat Shameem Khan of Fiji, Mame Mandiaye Niang of Senegal, and Kimberly Prost of Canada, according to the U.S. Treasury and State Department. ICC judges issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Israeli defense chief Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leader Ibrahim al-Masri last November for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Gaza conflict. Guillou is an ICC judge who presided over a pre-trial panel that issued the arrest warrant for Netanyahu. Khan and Niang are the court's two deputy prosecutors. The move comes less than three months after the administration took the unprecedented step of slapping sanctions on four separate ICC judges, saying they have engaged in ICC's "illegitimate and baseless actions" targeting the U.S. and close ally Israel. ICC, which had slammed the move in June, describing it as an attempt to undermine the independence of the judicial institution, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The ICC, which was established in 2002, has international jurisdiction to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes in member states or if a situation is referred by the U.N. Security Council. The United States, China, Russia, and Israel are not members. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore 18 persons nabbed and 82 vapes seized in HSA ops in Raffles Place and Haji Lane Singapore 3 Sengkang Green Primary pupils suspended for bullying schoolmate, with 1 of them caned: MOE Singapore Woman trapped between train doors: Judge rules SBS Transit '100% responsible' Singapore Religion growing in importance for Singaporeans: IPS study Life 'Loss that's irreplaceable': Local film-makers mourn closure of Singapore indie cinema The Projector Singapore COE premiums up in all categories except motorcycles; Cat A price climbs 2.5% to $104,524 Singapore Nearly 2 years' jail, caning for man caught with at least 100 sexually explicit videos of children Singapore Grab users in Singapore shocked by fares of over $1,000 due to display glitch It has high-profile war crimes investigations under way into the Israel-Hamas conflict and Russia's war in Ukraine, as well as in Sudan, Myanmar, the Philippines, Venezuela, and Afghanistan. The sanctions freeze any U.S. assets the individuals may have and essentially cut them off from the U.S. financial system. REUTERS
