Iranian president welcomed in Zimbabwe with anti-West songs on the last stop on his Africa trip

By FARAI MUTSAKA
Associated Press

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi has been welcomed in Zimbabwe by people singing songs criticizing the West. He arrived on Thursday on the last stop of his three-nation Africa trip. Raisi was greeted at Harare’s international airport by Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who thanked the Iranian leader for showing “solidarity.” Both countries are under U.S. sanctions. Raisi’s trip to Africa has already included stops in Kenya and Uganda, and highlights Iran’s efforts to build new partnerships in a bid to soften the impact of those heavy economic punishments. He recently reached out to other nations struggling under U.S. sanctions, including on his first visit to Latin America last month, when he went to Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba.