Algeria, Tunisia deny false Iranian military collaboration reports

Algeria and Tunisia have both denied rumours made by Iranian press agencies, which stated that the leadership of both North African countries praised Iran’s geopolitical role in the region during a diplomatic tour.

Iran's Minister of Culture Reza Amiri arrived in Algeria last Monday to discuss cultural cooperation between Algiers and Tehran, before making his way to Tunisia.

Iranian news outlets spread false reports that Algeria and Iran will co-operate in carrying out counter-terrorist operations after a flood of false reports went viral from various Iranian news outlets.

The reports stated that Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal had pledged to Amiri to help Tehran in its alleged fight against extremism in the region.

The reports also alleged that Ridha Bouguezzi, a spokesman for the Tunisian president said that "Iran is the protector of the Muslim world against Israel".

Both Algeria and Tunisia denied the claims over the weekend, when the circulation of the rumours gained momentum across Iran, and began to flood into other Middle Eastern and North African countries.

The Tunisian Presidential Office on Saturday had denied that Bouguezzi made such remarks, and said the purpose of the meeting was strictly for the purpose of cultural co-operation, TAP reported.

The spokesperson for the Algerian foreign ministry Abdelaziz Benali Cherif on Sunday told Algeria Press Service that the claims by the Iranian media were “groundless” and unfounded.

"[The meeting] was an opportunity for the Prime Minister to express Algeria's wish to see Iran playing a positive role in its region and be a factor for stability and balance in the Near East and Arabian Gulf,” Cherif added.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have been accused of perpetuating the spread of extremism across the region, and have been responsible for arming and training various militia factions across the Middle East.