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Iran's Raisi embarks on a Latin America tour

Iranian president in Venezuela to reaffirm strong ties with four countries which are all allies of Russia.

AFP

Iranian President Raisi was welcomed on Monday by his Venezuelan counterpart Maduro at the Miraflores presidential palace. / Photo: AFP

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has arrived in Venezuela for the start of a visit to "friendly countries" that also include Cuba and Nicaragua, all under sanctions from the United States.

Raisi was welcomed in Caracas on Monday by Foreign Minister Yvan Gil, and met his Venezuelan counterpartNicolas Maduro later in the day.

Before departing Tehran, Raisi had said his Latin America tour was at the invitation of the presidents of "friendly countries" Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba, and was aimed at improving "economic, political and scientific cooperation."

The four countries are all allies of Russia.

"Over the last two years, our cooperation with these countries has developed... in the domains of industry, agriculture, science, technology and medicine," Raisi told the Irna news agency.

Political and economic crisis

Iran and Venezuela are members of the OPEC oil cartel, central to international discussions on the energy crisis sparked after Russia's war on Ukraine.

The war has seen global efforts intensify to solve Venezuela's political and economic crisis.

Last year, the US sent delegates to Caracas to meet Maduro, and after talks resumed between his government and the opposition in November, Washington granted a six-month license to US energy giant Chevron to operate in Venezuela.

The South American country has the world's largest oil reserves.

Maduro visited Iran in June 2022, signing a 20-year pact to open "major fronts" for cooperation in the oil, petrochemicals and defense sectors.

In February, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian visited Caracas and discussed with Maduro the "defense of their national interests faced with external pressures," according t o Tehran.

In 2020, Iran sent 1.5 million barrels of fuel to Venezuela along with supplies to help restart struggling refineries. Washington has since accused Iran of circumventing sanctions.

The last Iranian president to visit Cuba and Venezuela was Hassan Rouhani in September 2016. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made the last presidential visit to Nicaragua in 2007.