Presidents allied to Nicaraguan dictators Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo are known for subjugating their respective countries under authoritarian and repressive regimes. In Latin America, Ortega maintains a “united front” with Cuba, Bolivia and Venezuela, but his diplomatic relations extended and reached Iran.
Until Sunday, May 19, the Arab country was led by Ebrahim Raisi. However, while traveling by helicopter with the Iranian Foreign Minister, the president suffered a plane crash where he lost his life, as confirmed by state media.
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Before his death, Raisi visited the dictatorial couple as part of his tour of “friendly” Latin American countries, which began in Venezuela. In June 2023, The Iranian president arrived in Nicaragua and spoke with Ortega about “bilateral cooperation agreements in science, technology, energy, economy, trade, culture and politics.”
«We are willing to share our capabilities and experiences with the brother and friend country of Nicaragua. Our visit demonstrates Iran’s political will to further consolidate and deepen our friendly relations,” said Raisi, during a speech before the Ortega deputies of the National Assembly.
Likewise, the president affirmed that the diplomatic ties between Iran and Nicaragua “are completely strategic.” “We want to increase and deepen our relations in all political, economic, and cultural areas, especially in matters of science and technology,” he added.
Like Ortega, Raisi lashed out at the United States and other “imperialist powers,” accusing them of “attacking and destabilizing independent governments in the world through attempted coups and economic sanctions.”
Stronger links
Since that visit, the alliance between Nicaragua and Iran was greatly strengthened. A demonstration of this was that, almost a month after Raisi’s first visit, a delegation from the Asian nation arrived in Nicaragua to celebrate the 44th anniversary of the victory of the Sandinista Popular Revolution.
Laureano Ortega Murillo, the “favorite son” of the Nicaraguan dictators, was in charge of receiving the commission made up of Ebrahim Azizi, president of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, Seyed Ali Aghazadeh, leader of the Defense Committee and Mohammadreza Daraibaf, director of International Relations of the Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran.
«We have to thank God and our two twin revolutions who have made possible the triumph of truth, of peace over evil. The fight against imperialism is a common fight that we have had and, thank God, both peoples have been successful,” Azizi expressed to the official media.
Likewise, in January of this year, the Nicaraguan Ambassador to Iran, Ramon Moncada Colindresbrother of the Nicaraguan Foreign Minister, delivered his credentials to President Raisi.
In that meeting, the Iranian leader said that he was “satisfied” with the visit he made to Nicaragua and his meeting with Ortega and Murillo. The politician highlighted “the ties of friendship and cooperation that have united us” and invited the ruling couple to visit Iran “at the time they consider appropriate.”
The most recent diplomatic contact between both countries was a visit by the ambassadors of Nicaragua, South Korea, New Zealand and the Philippines to the Second Rural and Nomad Festival of the Province of Qazvin, Iran, held on May 7.
The governor of the town, Mohammad Mehdi Alaee, allowed Moncada Colindres to cut the ribbon to inaugurate the event, “in a gesture of recognition of the brotherhood and fraternity with Nicaragua,” according to the official media.
Defender of Iran
On the night of April 13, international media reported that Iran deployed more than 350 drones and war missiles against Israel. Both Ortega and Raisi have declared themselves allies of Palestine and have maintained their joint rejection of the Israeli government.
The political scientist and political activist Felix Maradiaga indicated that although on that occasion the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo has not publicly spoken out to support Iran, as it has already done with other of its allied countries, “for years the Sandinista regime has been strengthening relations with Iran, in these times of tension and global conflict.
Maradiaga noted that “the relationship between the Sandinista dictatorship and the terrorist regime in Iran deserves close and clinical scrutiny. This link, far from being based on principles of modern diplomacy and mutual benefit, is based on an unhealthy rejection of the Sandinista dictatorship towards the West, particularly towards the United States.
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The released politician stated that “this incident reinforces the image of Iran as an actor that destabilizes the region and also raises serious questions about the effectiveness of international diplomacy in containing Iran. “We have known how Iran has sponsored terrorist groups like Hamas.”
After Raisi’s death, his position will be occupied by the first vice president, Mohammad Mokhber, until the election of a new president within a period of 50 days. It is unknown if the future interim president will maintain ties with Nicaragua, and the rest of the Latin American dictatorships.
