Ayatollah Khamenei made the remarks during a meeting in Tehran with visiting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Iran's Supreme Leader referred to the successful experiences of Iran and Venezuela in standing up to US' intense pressures and hybrid warfare. He emphasized, "The only way to confront the US is through resistance and persistence."
The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, referring to the Venezuelan government's and nation’s victorious fight against the US and its all-out hybrid war on Venezuela, told Mr. Maduro, “The resistance that Your Excellency and the Venezuelan nation have shown are invaluable because resistance raises a nation’s and its leaders’ status and esteem; and today, the US views Venezuela differently."
Ayatollah Khamenei also referred to the scientific and technological progress and initiatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran in recent years, and he added, “These large steps were taken in a situation where the heaviest, most unprecedented sanctions and pressures had been imposed on the Iranian nation. The Americans themselves called it ‘maximum pressure’”.
The Supreme Leader emphasized, “The resistance of the Iranian nation brought about the failure of their maximum pressure policy to such an extent that one of the prominent political officials of the United States recently used the term ‘abject failure’ in referring to this policy.”
The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution pointed out, “The conclusion that can be drawn from the resistance and success of the two nations of Iran and Venezuela is that the only solution when facing [political and economic] pressures is resistance. At the same time, the cooperation between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela should become stronger and relations should become closer than before.”
While welcoming the signing of the 20-year Document of Cooperation between Iran and Venezuela, Imam Khamenei stated, "Long-term cooperation requires following up on agreements and their completion.”
In referring to the close cooperation between Iran and Venezuela, the Supreme Leader noted, “The two countries have closer ties with each other than any other country. The Islamic Republic of Iran has proven that when dangers arise for its friends, Iran takes risks and helps its friends.”
Ayatollah Khamenei praised Maduro's anti-Zionist stance by saying, “The stance you recently took against the Zionist regime was very correct and courageous.”
During the meeting, which was also attended by Mr. Raisi, the President of Iran, Nicolas Maduro expresses his gratitude to Iran for its support in the Venezuelan nation's difficult struggle against the United States. He said, “When the situation in Venezuela had become very difficult and no other country was helping us, you came to our aid and helped us out of that situation.”
Explaining the difficult economic situation in Venezuela in recent years, the President of Venezuela added, “As Your Excellency stated, the Americans started a gradual, multidimensional war against our country. However, we were able to persist and use the opportunities provided by the sanctions to start a comprehensive confrontation to the American invasion. Now the situation in Venezuela is better than a few years ago.”
Referring to his meetings in Tehran and the signing of the Document of Cooperation, Maduro added, “We are drawing up a precise roadmap for cooperation with Iran in various fields, especially in science and technology.”
The Venezuelan president also stressed that his country considers the issue of Palestine to be a sacred human issue. He explained, “Because of this belief, the Zionist regime is constantly conspiring against Venezuela through its Mossad.”
President Maduro arrived in the Iranian capital on Friday for a two-day visit.
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