Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on July 12 launched into a condemnation of Western attitudes on homosexuality during a visit to Uganda, which has just introduced some of the harshest anti-gay laws in the world.
"The West today is trying to promote the idea of homosexuality and by promoting homosexuality they are trying to end the generation of human beings," Raisi said.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni signed a law in May making "aggravated homosexuality" a capital offense and same-sex relations punishable by life in prison, triggering outrage among human rights groups, the United Nations, LGBT activists, and Western powers.
Raisi has begun a rare visit to Africa as his country, which is under heavy U.S. economic sanctions, seeks to deepen other partnerships around the world. Raisi's visits to Kenya and Uganda on July 12 are the first to the African continent by an Iranian leader in more than a decade.
He will also visit Zimbabwe on his trip to Africa, which he described as a "continent of opportunities" and a great platform for Iranian products. "None of us is satisfied with the current volume of trade," he said.
