Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Friday accused world powers of trying to destroy the economies of Zimbabwe and his own nation, which faces the threat of toughened sanctions.

"Our nations have a bitter experience of intervention by those big powers. They want to seize the markets of the countries (Iran and Zimbabwe) and destroy their economies," Ahmadinejad said, opening an international trade fair in Zimbabwe's second city of Bulawayo.

"Some of those oppressive and arrogant states don't obey these rules. They have very bad behaviour. And today, they are trying to possess world resources. They don't want the world to achieve peace and prosperity," he said.

"But the world of nations, including Iran and Zimbabwe, has decided to stand firm. We believe in common principles." The trade fair was once a important showcase for investment in Zimbabwe, but has greatly diminished after a decade of economic freefall.

Ahmadinejad on Thursday visited two factories in the capital Harare where Iran wants to invest, one for car parts and one for carpets.

At a dinner with Mugabe late Thursday, he denounced "satanic pressures" on their countries, which are both targets of sanctions.

Both Ahmadinejad and Mugabe are known for their controversial policies and anti-Western rhetoric.

Both men have also clung to power through elections marred by violence and allegations of fraud -- Ahmadinejad after a bloody presidential election last year and Mugabe after sharply criticised polls in 2002 and 2008.

Ahmadinejad currently faces the threat of new United Nations sanctions over Iran's nuclear programme, while Mugabe is accused of not honouring a power-sharing agreement reached last year after the controversial elections.

Mugabe backed Iran's nuclear programme and joined Ahmadinejad in denouncing the sanctions.

"Be also assured, comrade president, of Zimbabwe's continuous support of Iran's just cause on the nuclear issue," Mugabe told Ahmadinejad on Thursday.

"Because of the principled positions we have taken at both the domestic and international level, Zimbabwe and Iran have been unjustly vilified and punished by Western countries," Mugabe said.

Ahmadinejad arrived in Zimbabwe Thursday for trade talks with Mugabe, a visit denounced as a "colossal political scandal" by the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), Mugabe's partner in a fractious unity government.

"Inviting the Iranian strongman to an investment forum is like inviting a mosquito to cure malaria," the party said in a statement.

Ahmadinejad heads to Uganda later Friday, where he will discuss Iran's nuclear programme, according to Iranian state television.

Uganda currently holds one of the rotating seats on the Security Council, which is considering tougher sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme.

Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki has said Tehran plans to open talks with all 15 Security Council members in an effort to break a deadlock on a nuclear fuel supply deal that has put it at odds with Western powers.

Zimbabwe enjoys good relations with Iran as well as several east Asian countries after Mugabe launched a "Look East" policy in response to isolation by the West following Harare's controversial land reforms and disputed 2002 elections.