How significant is Niger's PM visit to Iran post-coup and amid Africa push?

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi praised Niger’s post-coup government during a meeting with Nigerien Prime Minister Ali Lamine Zeine in Tehran Thursday as the Islamic Republic seeks to boost its relations with African states.

Raisi said Niger has a “brilliant future” and praised the West African country’s “path of independence and freedom,” the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported.

Zeine arrived in Iran on Wednesday and was greeted by Iran’s First Vice-President Mohammad Mokhber. Officials from the two countries signed an agreement on political and economic cooperation and another on health following his arrival, according to the semiofficial Mehr News Agency.

Nigerien Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani led a coup in July, ousting Western-backed President Mohamed Bazoum. The Tchiani-led junta appointed Zeine as prime minister in August, and he remains in power.