Iran & Venezuela make stand against US

Iran Venezuela Relations

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has vowed to counter US "imperialism" with strong support from Venezuela, Bolivia, Brazil and Cuba's Fidel Castro.

In Caracas, Venezuela's capital, Ahmadinejad sat next to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez at a televised press conference and vowed to "stand together until the end" against the US. Coming to the end of his tour of South American allies, Ahmadinejad praised his "brave brother" Chavez, saying: "Today the people of Venezuela and Iran, friends and brothers in the trench warfare against imperialism, are resisting.

"We'll stand together until the end," he yelled, raising Chavez's hand in front of the television cameras and shouting in Spanish: "Viva Venezuela! Viva Chavez!"

Unusually aggressive response from Washington

Before visiting Venezuela, Ahmadinejad was in Bolivia alongside President Evo Morales making their own stance against the US. His three day tour of South America is in clear opposition to Washington, prompting an unusually aggressive response from US President Barack Obama.

After Ahmadinejad's first stop in Brazil, Obama sent a letter to the Brazilian government urging more resilience against Tehran.

Middle-East-Online.com reported that the letter, written to Brazilian leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on the eve of Ahmadinejad's visit, outlined Washington's foreign policy goals and opposition to Iran's nuclear program.

On receiving this letter, the Brazilian leader came out and publicly recognized Iran's right to develop nuclear energy "peacefully" while also supporting Ahmadinejad's re-election in June.

Lula da Silva said he had made a "lightning" visit to Cuba on Tuesday, where he met for seven hours with ailing former president Fidel Castro, who told him to deliver a big "hug" to Ahmadinejad on his return to Caracas.

The Venezuelan and Iranian leaders signed twelve cooperation agreements

"Fidel told me: 'tell Ahmadinejad that reaching Venezuela is like reaching Cuba, because it's the same homeland. So I'm also welcoming you to Cuba, brother,'" Chavez said.

On an economic front, OPEC members Venezuela and Iran launched joint projects, including a bi-national bank, housing programs and bicycle, car and tractor assemblies.

The Venezuelan and Iranian leaders signed twelve cooperation agreements in housing, farming, tourism and energy sectors and announced the opening soon of a direct, Caracas-Tehran air flight by Iran's Mahan Air - "to bring us closer still," Chavez said.

Chavez claimed the brotherhood between himself and Ahmadinejad was "historic" and said he was looking forward to visiting Tehran next year, where the Iranian leader said he will be "waiting for him".

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