February 18, 2022
At least three Iranian planes have flown into Myanmar unannounced since the Myanmarese military took over the government, prompting questions as to why the Islamic Republic is cozying up to a regime best known for its repression of its Muslim minority.
There is also speculation that the planes may have been bringing weapons to the Myan-marese junta.
The Asian Times reported on the Myanmar-Iran contacts in a January 20 article. It said it had seen a list of those said to have been on the last plane to land and that an Iranian analyst told it some of the names were of officers of the Pasdaran. Asian Times did not, however, published any of the names.
Iranian planes landing in Myanmar have raised speculation of secretive military-to-military cooperation, including possible Iranian weapons sales amid rising international calls to impose an arms embargo on the junta.
Asian Times quoted “diplomatic sources” saying an Iranian delegation that landed in Myanmar January 13 was either the second or third to visit since the military seized power and suspended democracy in a February 1, 2021, coup. Later, Asia Times reported that another Iranian plane landed in Myanmar’s capital February 16, reportedly with 21 crates of military hardware.
Before this report, Iran was not known to have any military ties to Myanmar, which relies mostly on Russia and China as well as India for its armaments.
Moreover, in 2017, the deputy speaker of the Iranian Majlis called for the creation of a joint military force by Muslim countries to stop Myanmar military violence against ethnic minority Rohingya Muslims that has driven hundreds of thousands into neighboring Bangladesh and the United Nations has said could constitute “genocide.”
According to data on Flightradar24, a plane owned by the Iranian cargo airline Qeshm Fars Air flew from Mashhad to Myanmar January 13. The plane returned to Iran from Myanmar the following day, the flight tracker data reveals.
The Iran Times has not seen any reports in Iranian media of any visits to Myanmar by Iranian delegations since the coup. But it has noticed that the stream of invective against the Myan-marese military for killing Rohingya stopped long ago.
During the many years the United States condemned the Myanmar government as a dictatorship and a regime repressive of its Muslim minority, Iran was silent about the Rohingya minority and politically aligned with Myanmar in fighting the annual UN resolutions that condemned Myanmar and Iran for their human rights violations.
When the Myanmarese military rulers allowed somewhat free elections and the US became friendly with Myanmar, Iran suddenly started denouncing Myan-mar’s treatment of the Rohingya and accused Washington of being associated with those anti-Muslim policies.
But when the UN, with US support, resumed condemning Burma’s human rights practices, Iran halted its constant stream of denunciations of Myanmar. It has not resumed them.
The Islamic Republic claims to be the defender of oppressed Muslims around the world. But it is silent about the treatment by Serbia of its Kosovar Muslims and of Chinese treatment of its Uyghur Muslims, as well as silent about the Rohingya. It has even been silent in recent months about Taliban abuse of the Hazara Shiite minority in Afghanistan. In fact, the Islamic Republic is only loud and fervent in its defense of Palestinians.
In Myanmar, formerly Burma, apart from the attacks on the Rohingya, more than 1,400 civilians have been killed by security forces since the coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a human rights group. Reports of military torture, rape and executions are commonplace on Myanmar social media.
The European Union has proposed a binding international arms embargo on Myanmar in response to the coup and post-coup abuses.
The United Nations General Assembly adopted a non-binding resolution last year calling on all states to “to prevent the flow of arms into Myanmar.”
