Iran's Forward Defense in Sub-Saharan Africa

This article examines Iran's security and defense initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa between 1990 and 2024 and how they reflect the extraterritorial application of the regime's forward defense doctrine. In response to the long-term erosion of its homeland defense capabilities since the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s—driven by infrastructure degradation, international sanctions, and increasing Israeli and US pressure—Tehran has sought to expand its strategic depth beyond the Levant. Through partnerships with states such as Sudan and South Africa, as well as discreet engagement with nonstate actors, Iran approaches sub-Saharan Africa as a peripheral buffer zone. These interactions aim to project influence, safeguard national interests, and counter rival actors. The article analyzes how the Islamic Republic uses dynamic, subversive, and hybrid approaches, including pragmatic alliances, interference, arms transfers, intelligence cooperation, terrorism, and cyberwarfare. These practices illustrate how sub-Saharan Africa is becoming an increasingly relevant extension of Iran's forward defense strategy within a competitive, zero-sum security environment.