Iranian President Seyed Ebrahim Rayeesi started his five-day tour of Latin America with the aim of bolstering political and economic relations with allies who oppose Western rule, underscoring that Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba share Tehran’s view on confronting hegemonic rule as well as unilateralism.
The Iranian president departed Tehran in the early hours of Monday and is expected to make state visits to Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua, all countries that are also sanctioned by the United States.
Speaking at Mehrabad Airport before leaving Tehran for Venezuela’s Caracas at the head of a high-ranking delegation, President Rayeesi said Iran’s relations with those countries have been consistently cordial during past years, as they have common views with Tehran on major international issues.
“Our common position with these three countries is opposition to the [world’s] hegemonic system and unilateralism,” he stressed, adding that Tehran cooperates with those countries in numerous fields.
Iran president said that export of technical and engineering manpower is among the important cooperation areas, adding, “We also cooperate with Latin American countries in the fields of politics, energy, science and technology, medicine and economy.”
Rayeesi said his trip comes at the invitation of the presidents of the three countries, adding that it would be a turning point in developing Tehran’s ties with Caracas, Managua and Havana.
He also stated that making the most of the potentialities that exist in Iran and the three Latin American states can lead to further expansion of their “strategic relations”.
A high-ranking delegation comprised of ministers of foreign affairs, oil, defense, and health are accompanying Rayeesi in his tour of Latin America. During his visit to the three countries, various agreements and memorandums of understanding will be signed between Iranian officials and their counterparts.
Tehran has close ties with many Latin American countries in different domains and seeks to further deepen its relations with those states. The administration of President Rayeesi has described plans to enhance ties with Latin American countries as a main pillar of Iran’s foreign policy.
Iran, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba have repeatedly denounced sanctions and unlawful measures imposed on them by the United States.
Iranian officials say the future of the world will not witness unilateralism, and multilateralism will spread across the globe.
They stress that the future of the world and region will be shaped by regional countries and organizations, as a growing number of states across the globe have rejected unilateralism and coercion. They asked independent states to challenge the US hegemony in the region and around the world, and stressed that domineering behavior is not just special to Democrats or Republicans but in the nature of American policies.
Officials in Iran have underlined that the US has been defeated in the maximum pressure policy against Tehran, underscoring that the policy of isolating Iran has ended up in failure. They say Washington’s sanctions and threats have all failed to cease Tehran’s progress.
