Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi has embarked on a diplomatic tour in Latin America, with his first stop being Caracas, Venezuela. During his visit, Raisi emphasized the friendship between Venezuela and Iran, stating that the two countries share “common enemies.”
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi began a rare diplomatic tour of Latin America on Monday with a first stop in Caracas, where he said his country and Venezuela are “friends” with “common enemies.”
Raisi’s schedule is also set to include visits to Cuba and Nicaragua, which are all the targets of US sanctions, like Iran and Venezuela.
“We have common interests, common visions, and common enemies,” the president said, without specifying, in remarks to the press alongside Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
“The relationship between Iran and Venezuela is not a normal diplomatic relationship, but a strategic relationship,” he added.
Tehran is one of the principal international allies of Maduro’s government, which, like those in Cuba and Nicaragua, are also allies of Russia, an international pariah since its invasion of Ukraine last year.
Part of the reason for Raisi’s trip was to increase trade between the two countries, Raisi said, up from the current $3 billion a year to eventually $20 billion.
The two leaders announced that they signed 25 accords across sectors ranging from education and health to mining.
Also on the agenda is developing technological cooperation between the two countries, part of Raisi’s goal of improving “economic, political, and scientific cooperation” between Iran, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba.
Iran and Venezuela are also members of the OPEC oil cartel, which has become central to international discussions on the energy crisis sparked by Russia’s war on Ukraine.
In 2020, Iran sent 1.5 million barrels of fuel to Venezuela and supplies to help restart struggling refineries. Washington has since accused Iran of circumventing sanctions.
Miroslava Salazar with AFP
