Iran continued its attempts to foster stronger ties with Central Asian countries this week as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian hosted the prime minister of Uzbekistan.“Speaking in his meeting with Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Abdulla Nigmatovich Aripov in Tehran on Monday, President Pezeshkian said that Iran and Uzbekistan are one soul in two bodies and have a lot in common in the historical, cultural, lingual, and religious fields,” Iran’s state media said.Central Asia is an increasingly important region for Iran. It has done outreach there for several reasons. First of all, it is part of Tehran's policy of looking to the east toward China and South Asia. It is also part of Iran’s work to ingratiate itself with other economic blocs such as BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
Additionally, it is a way for the Islamic Republic to continue building trade ties away from the West. Central Asian countries often feel neglected, and they seek to escape a post-Soviet orbit linked to Russia. They had increasing relevance to the West during the US involvement in Afghanistan, but since then, the West has largely looked the other way, leaving Iran to fill the vacuum.Pezeshkian is focused on “enhancing cooperation between Iran and Uzbekistan, [which] can help bring stability to [the] region,” according to Iranian state media.
Strengthening relations
He said, “Iran and Uzbekistan can strengthen their relations in all areas by relying on the vast commonalities between the two nations.”
He also spoke about the geography of the region and the borders of the countries. “The prime minister of Uzbekistan, for his part, said that good agreements were reached between Iran and Uzbekistan to increase the volume of bilateral trade exchanges,” IRNA noted.
The report noted that Aripov arrived in Iran on Sunday to discuss bilateral ties and issues of mutual interest. “Aripov, heading a high-ranking delegation, was welcomed at Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran on Sunday by Industry, Mines, and Trade Minister Mohammad Atabak. First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref also met the Uzbek prime minister,” the report added.
In November 2024, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke with his Turkmen counterpart Rashid Meredov.
“Iran’s Agriculture Minister Gholamreza Nouri Ghezeljeh highlighted the Islamic Republic’s capabilities in providing Uzbekistan with engineering services, training, and research in the fields of livestock breeding and drip irrigation,” the report said at the time.
Iran also signed an agreement with Tajikistan in April 2025, and in 2022, Tehran opened a drone factory there.