Peru said it was severing diplomatic relations with Iran, accusing Tehran of conduct that threatens stability in the Middle East and harms international peace and security. The move, announced by Peru's foreign ministry, was one of the strongest foreign policy steps taken by Lima in response to tensions spreading across the region.
Peru said the decision was communicated through a diplomatic note sent via Iran's embassy in Ecuador, which serves as Iran's concurrent mission to Peru. The government specified that the break does not extend to consular relations, which will remain in force. That distinction leaves room for basic citizen services and official assistance even as formal diplomatic ties are cut.
In its explanation, Peru cited Iran's repression of peaceful demonstrations, restrictions on press freedom, discrimination against women and girls, and persecution of political opponents. The foreign ministry also linked the rupture to broader regional and international concerns, arguing that Iran's behavior undermines stability in the Middle East at a time of war and intensifying geopolitical strain.
Lima added maritime and nuclear issues to its case. Peru criticized restrictions and disruption to international trade through the Strait of Hormuz since March, saying such actions run against freedom of navigation and the right of passage through straits used for international maritime transit. The ministry said those disruptions affect navigational safety, protection of human life and preservation of the marine environment, while also risking higher energy prices and instability in global supply chains.
Peru also accused Iran of denying inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency access to nuclear facilities, saying that this obstructs verification intended to prevent the production of nuclear weapons. By placing that allegation alongside its human rights criticisms, Peru presented the diplomatic break not as a narrow bilateral disagreement but as a response to what it portrayed as a broader pattern of destabilizing conduct.
The rupture carries historical weight because diplomatic relations between Peru and Iran began in 1973. Yet the practical commercial relationship between the two countries has been limited. According to the foreign ministry's account cited by AP, bilateral trade in 2025 totaled $1.3 million. Peru exported mainly veterinary vaccines and annatto colorants, while importing diagnostic or laboratory reagents, raisins and dates.
Those figures suggest the immediate economic impact may be modest, but the diplomatic significance is larger than the trade volume alone. Breaking relations is a rare step that publicly places Peru within a harder line against Tehran at a moment when Middle East conflict, energy security and international shipping routes are all under renewed scrutiny.
The decision also shows how countries outside the immediate conflict zone are recalibrating their policies as the war's consequences spread into trade, maritime security and multilateral oversight. By tying its justification to shipping through Hormuz, nuclear inspections and domestic repression inside Iran, Peru framed its move as part of a wider international argument about whether Tehran's actions are becoming a global risk rather than a regional dispute.
By keeping consular relations intact, Peru avoided a total institutional freeze. Even so, the event date marks a clear escalation in Lima's posture toward Iran. The decision reshapes a relationship that had existed for more than five decades and ties Peru's foreign policy stance directly to regional war, maritime security concerns and the broader international debate over Iran's internal repression and nuclear transparency.
