Iran has extended its congratulations to Nicolás Maduro on his inauguration as President of Venezuela for a third term, expressing hopes for stronger bilateral relations between the two nations, Tehran Times reported.
In a statement posted on the social media platform X on Saturday night, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei wrote, “Congratulations to President Nicolás Maduro on his inauguration as President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. We wish him great success in serving his people and country and look forward to collaborating with the elected government to advance the extensive ties between Iran and Venezuela.”
Maduro was sworn in during a ceremony at Venezuela’s National Assembly on Friday, where he vowed to usher in a “period of peace” during his new six-year term. He described his leadership as a “democratizing revolution” inspired by the ideals of Latin American independence heroes and asserted his commitment to what he called an “eminently democratic project.”
Following Maduro’s inauguration, the U.S. escalated its efforts to undermine his government, announcing an increased $25 million reward for information leading to the arrest of the Venezuelan president and his closest allies.
In his statement, Baqaei reaffirmed Iran’s solidarity with Venezuela, denouncing “malign interventions and unilateral coercive measures led by the United States.” Both nations have been subjected to extensive U.S. sanctions, which are part of broader imperialist efforts to suppress independent governments.
“The Governments of Iran and Russia have targeted our election processes and institutions and sought to divide the American people through targeted disinformation campaigns,” said Acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley T. Smith. “The United States will remain vigilant against adversaries who would undermine our democracy.”
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will visit Moscow on January 17 to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and sign a strategic cooperation agreement, the Iranian Embassy announced.
The statement followed a meeting on Friday between Kazem Jalali, Iran’s Ambassador to Moscow, and Andrey Rudenko, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister. Russia, confirming the meeting, said: “Current issues on the bilateral agenda were discussed, including upcoming high-level contacts,” as quoted by Tass.
The initiative comes after both Iran and Russia lost their key Middle Eastern ally, Bashar al-Assad of Syria, last month, when Islamic insurgents swept down from the north and seized Damascus within days.
According to the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), Iran has supplied Russia with up to 3,000 drones – primarily the Shahed-136 model – though the exact number remains uncertain.
“Estimates vary on how many Iranian drones Russia has acquired, ranging from 600 to more than 3,000. While this number might seem large, these munitions are often used in waves, so a supply of a few thousand can be depleted in a matter of days or weeks,” the CFR wrote in October 2022.
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