Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is to visit Kenya on Wednesday as Tehran eyes closer ties with African nations.
Mr Raisi's visit was delayed by a day for unspecified reasons, with the president failing to appear at a press briefing.
The three-day trip to Kenya, Uganda and Zimbabwe is first visit to Africa by an Iranian leader in 11 years.
It comes as Tehran looks to develop its international presence in the shadow of US and European sanctions, which have increased amid its weapon supplies to Russia and crackdown on anti-regime protesters, more than 500 of whom have been killed since September.
Last week, it joined the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation with China and Russia, and restored ties with Saudi Arabia in March after a seven-year rift.
Mr Raisi was scheduled to hold a press conference with Kenyan President William Ruto on Tuesday morning, but neither showed up.
The Kenyan government later confirmed he would arrive on Wednesday, when the presidents will hold bilateral talks and finalise agreements between the two countries.
There was no reason given for the delay, and no immediate comment from Tehran.
Mr Raisi's visit to Uganda "is aimed at strengthening cooperation and trade," a spokesman for Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni told AFP.
On Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani told reporters that Africa was a “continent of opportunities," describing the trip as a "new starting point" on various fronts.
Senior businesspeople will join the presidential delegation on the trip, which will also involve attending a business forum in Uganda, Mr Kanani said.
The president will also meet his Zimbabwean counterpart Emmerson Mnangagwa.
He met with Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf on Saturday, and has also sought to rekindle relations with Egypt and Morocco.
In June, Mr Raisi undertook a Latin American tour that included Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba before travelling to Indonesia.
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Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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