Tehran, Iran — President Ebrahim Raisi began a three-country journey to South America to strengthen political and economic connections with anti-Western allies. The president left Tehran early Monday to visit Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua, all US-sanctioned nations. Iranian official media stated the five-day journey will start in Venezuela. Raisi has made 13 international trips in 21 months as president. The president is joined by his chief of staff, deputy for political affairs, foreign affairs, petroleum, defense, and health ministries.
Iran and autonomous Latin American nations have strategic relations. Before leaving, Raisi declared, “We and these three countries oppose imperialism and unilateralism.” Venezuela is Raisi’s closest partner. Last year, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro visited Tehran and met Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, where they inked a 20-year collaboration agreement they called “strategic.” Iran has been helping Venezuela repair and refurbish refineries and transport heavy crude to improve oil and gas production for three years. The two countries want to cooperate in agriculture, research and technology, shipping, automotive, and tourism while enhancing flights and cultural links. One week after Maduro’s high-level visit to Saudi Arabia, Riyadh is rebuilding relationships without the US. In March, a China-brokered accord restored diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, allowing Saudi reconciliation with Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s readmission to the Arab League. Tehran and Cuba organized a COVID-19 vaccine production line in Iran in their most recent partnership.
Iranian officials claimed a Cuban delegation inked 13 agreements in Tehran last month on biotechnology, healthcare, commerce, finance, agriculture, and sports. After a 2018 government assault on protestors, Nicaragua has been cozying up to Beijing, having accepted China’s right to Taiwan. Raisi wants to follow up on prior agreements and explore new collaboration roadmaps, according to IRNA. “In a transition period to a multipolar era, the fact that the names of these countries align in the list of governments opposed to US hegemony stands out the most,” it stated.
