Defense minister: Iran fully supports Maduro government in Venezuela

Iran’s Defense Minister Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh says the Islamic Republic fully supports the government of Venezuelan President Nikolas Maduro, stressing that the change of governments does not alter the overall policy and approach of Tehran toward Caracas.

Nasirzadeh, who is also the Iranian head of the Joint Economic Commission of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Venezuela, made the remarks at a meeting with Venezuela’s Minister of Transportation Ramon Blazquez in Tehran on Thursday.

Nasirzadeh further told Blázquez, who is also the Venezuelan head of the Joint Economic Commission of the two countries, that late Iranian president Ebrahim Raeisi and late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez were the founders of a new chapter in the relations between the two countries.

“We must strive, as the officials of the joint commission for economic cooperation, to further develop these relations,” the Iranian defense minister stressed.

“Mr. Chavez was a pioneer of the anti-imperialist struggle, leaving a rich legacy for Venezuela, which is today stands at the forefront of the fight against imperialism and global hegemony,” Nasirzadeh said.

Caracas announced late last week that authorities had detained five foreign nationals, including three Americans, on suspicion of planning an attack on Maduro and his government, and plotting to “destabilize” the South American country through “violent actions.”

According to Venezuela’s Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, authorities had seized 400 American-made rifles from the squad.

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Three Americans and 2 Spaniards are being held pending trial in Venezuela for posing a threat to the country’s national security by plotting to “destabilize” the country through “violent actions.”

Referring to these developments in Venezuela, the Iranian defense minister said the thwarting of the coup and assassination plot in recent days indicated the continuation of imperialist conspiracies aimed at countering Venezuela’s independence.

“I believe that with the unity and solidarity between the government and the people of Venezuela, the vigilance of the armed forces, and the wise and intelligent leadership of the country, such conspiracies will fail,” Nasirzadeh stressed.

The Iranian defense minister also stated that the relationship between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Venezuela is special and significant, with Venezuela holding a unique position in Iran's foreign policy.

“The joint commission for economic cooperation is one of the mechanisms and institutions that can create special opportunities for further coordination and alliance between the two countries in their fight against common enemies, enhancing and elevating the level of cooperation,” he emphasized.

Nasirzadeh stressed that as officials of the joint commission, they were obligated to strengthen and develop these relations, following the lead of the two countries’ leaders.

“The change of governments does not alter the overall policy and approach of the Islamic Republic of Iran toward Venezuela. The Islamic Republic of Iran will certainly continue to support the legitimate and legal government of Mr. Maduro with all its strength, as it has in the past. We believe that the potential for relations between the two countries is greater than the current situation, and we hope to activate it through cooperation from both sides,” the Iranian defense minister emphasized.

Maduro emerged victorious in the July presidential election, but the US-backed opposition challenged the results and weeks of violence and unrest engulfed the country.

Earlier this month, Venezuelan opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia fled the Latin American country for asylum in Spain, after days of hiding in Spain’s embassy in Caracas.

The United States and its present ally and former colonial power Spain, are currently at loggerheads with Venezuela’s government over the re-election of the leftist leader in the presidential race.

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The electoral authority has said since the night of the election that Maduro won just over half of votes.

Blazquez, for his part, said that conveyed the greetings of Maduro to the Leader of the Islamic Republic, the president, and the Iranian defense minister, expressing wishes for success for the fourteenth government of Iran.

President Maduro “emphasized that the relations between the two countries should be pursued with special attention,” he said.

“We have common enemies who use all their tools against our nations, and we have witnessed their cyber attacks on the infrastructure of both countries, a recent example of which we saw in Lebanon as well,” Blazquez added.

Venezuela’s minister of transportation added that there is a wide range of cooperation projects that need to be implemented through the joint efforts of both sides, stressing that the Venezuelan government, in this regard, is already prepared to host the tenth meeting of the joint commission for economic cooperation between the two countries in Caracas.

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