TEHRAN: A senior Iranian MP accused Gambia on Tuesday of bowing to pressure from the United States after the tiny African country severed ties with Iran, the official IRNA news agency reported.
“This move is seen as a result of American pressure as well as US policies aimed at damaging Iran’s relations with different countries, including in Africa,” said Alaeddin Borujerdi, the head of parliament’s foreign policy commission.
The lawmaker sought to play down relations between the two countries although Iran has been involved in many projects in Gambia. “Iran’s relationship with Gambia was not on the highest political level – not even on a level for us to establish an embassy there,” he said.
Gambia, said to be the smallest country on the African continent, announced on Monday it had cut all ties with Tehran, without giving any reason for its decision. It ordered all Iranians representing their government to leave the country within 48 hours.
The two states had repeatedly declared mutual support up until last week, when Nigeria reported to the UN Security Council the discovery of an arms shipment from Iran destined for a west African nation.
