Iranian President Ebrahim Raishi arrived today in Venezuelafirst stop of his Latin American tour, in the framework of which he will also visit Cuba and Nicaragua – countries with which the Iran aspires to strengthen cooperation.

The president of Iran was welcomed at the “Simón Bolivar” airport in Caracas by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela, Ivan Hill.

“This trip is taking place at the invitation of the presidents of Venezuela’s friendly countries, Nicaragua and her Bucket. This trip can be a turning point for improving the level of relations between us and Latin American countries,” Raisi had said before his departure from Tehran. “In the last two years, our cooperation with these countries (Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua) has expanded (…) in the fields of industry, agriculture, science, technology and medicine,” the Iranian president told IRNA news agency. .

Iran is among Venezuela’s key allies. The two member countries of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) are subject to US sanctions that have hurt their economies.

In February, the president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro he welcomed Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Caracas and they discussed “defending their national interests against pressure from abroad,” according to Iranian diplomacy.

In June 2022, during Maduro’s visit to Tehran, the two governments signed a 20-year cooperation agreement.

The last visit of an Iranian president to Cuba and Venezuela dates back to 2016, when Hassan Rouhani traveled to the two countries before going to New York for the UN General Assembly. His predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, had traveled to Nicaragua in 2007.

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega defended Iran’s “right” to acquire nuclear weapons in February.