The development of strategic partnership between Belarus and Iran has accelerated since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. What threats to the world lie behind these "friendly embraces" and how should the West respond to this friendship is explored by Jack Rausch, a doctor from the London School of Economics, on the platform of the University of Texas.
While Belarus and Iran once allied based on economic and political isolation from the U.S. and European allies, today their friendship is grounded in shared security interests and support for Russia's war in Ukraine.
Each country has its own motivations for their pro-Russian actions. However, both Belarus and Iran are crucial in supporting Russia's current aggressive policies. As Russia seeks to actively integrate like-minded countries into "non-Western structures of partnership and loyalty," the development of Belarus-Iran partnership accelerates and simplifies the safe flow of critical, banned technologies to Russia, makes logistics more accessible, and reduces vulnerabilities in production areas.
Thus, the author urges the U.S. and its allies to take steps in response to the development of Belarusian-Iranian partnership. This includes both sanctions policy and possible warnings from Ukraine to Belarus regarding potential defensive strikes due to attempts to jointly produce UAVs on Belarusian territory.
"The threat posed by cooperation on defense production between Iran and Belarus underscores the importance of continued material support for Kyiv from both Europe and the United States. Countering cooperation between these two regimes will require an intensification of diplomatic pressure, in conjunction with new efforts to enhance Western-led deterrence. With shifting strategic considerations, what began as a pragmatic relationship based on shared animosity toward and isolation from the West has evolved into a consequential international challenge, revealing the increasingly significant role of a Russian-led “multi-pariah order,” the report says.
