What is driving Mauritania's support for Gaza and Iran

As Iran and Israel exchange missile strikes, the Mauritanian government, political parties, religious leaders, and civil society have all condemned what they describe as Israeli aggression.

The government formally denounced Israeli strikes on Iran, citing violations of sovereignty and international law, as the ruling El Insaf Party emphasised Mauritania’s stance on non-interference and solidarity with oppressed people.

Public sentiment has also surged, with street protests by the National Alliance for the Support of the Palestinian People, which organised a mass rally in Nouakchott under the slogan: “Yes to Breaking the Siege.” Participants reaffirmed their popular support for the resistance in Gaza, condemning the recent “criminal aggression” against Iran, which they described as exposing the fascist nature of the Zionist entity, emboldened by direct American and Western backing.

Iran is increasingly portrayed in Mauritanian discourse as a “resistance force” defending the Palestinian cause since Gaza remains a powerful emotional symbol, and Iranian retaliation is widely seen as avenging Palestinian suffering.

Islamist political parties, including Tawassoul and Hizb al-Fadhila, condemned Israeli actions as part of a broader campaign against the Muslim world. Tawassoul called the conflict “a wake-up call for global resistance.”

Students also held a protest outside the U.S. Embassy in Nouakchott, denouncing the Israeli attack on Iran and reiterating a firm rejection of normalisation with the occupation.

In a statement, the group described the strike as part of a broader Zionist project targeting the Muslim world, adding:“This adds to the occupation’s record of terrorism and aggression.”

Social media has played a key role in shaping public opinion, with viral posts and hashtags such as “Thank you, Iran, for avenging Gaza’s children” have flooded Mauritanian Facebook and Twitter. Videos of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and poems celebrating Iranian strikes further stoked public emotion.

The support has been unanimous, with some nationalist and Baathist voices accusing Iran of using the Palestinian cause for sectarian purposes.

Mauritania’s political stance is also evident in its foreign policy, where it responded to Israel’s military offensive in Gaza by expelling Israeli embassy staff and suspending political and economic ties with Tel Aviv.

It suspended political and economic ties with Israel in January 2009, following calls by ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal for Arab nations to sever relations.

At the time, Mauritania was one of only three Arab countries with formal ties to Israel, alongside Jordan and Egypt.

The North African nation has maintained cooperative relations with Iran, engaging in discussions on expanding bilateral ties in energy, trade, and infrastructure.

In recent months, Iran’s ambassador to Nouakchott met with the Mauritanian Minister of Energy and Oil to explore joint initiatives, and trade representatives from both countries met at Iran Expo 2025 to deepen commercial and technological cooperation.

For many Mauritanians, the Gaza-Iran-Israel conflict is more than geopolitical as it taps into long-standing religious, emotional, and strategic identities.