Annulling its defence agreements with Washington, the Niamey junta strengthens ties with Moscow and Tehran, Severing military ties with the United States on 16 March, three months after France closed its embassy in Niamey, General Abdourahamane Tiani's Conseil national pour la sauvegarde de la patrie (CNSP) is shifting its security and diplomatic focus away from western powers towards Russia, and to a lesser extent, Iran.