TEHRAN – Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil Pinto has expressed his gratitude to Iran for backing the Latin American nation in the face of US military threats and pressure.
“On behalf of the Bolivarian Government of Venezuela and our President Nicolás Maduro, we wish to express our sincere appreciation for the firm condemnation made by the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding the recent unilateral action by the United States to declare the closure of Venezuelan airspace,” Pinto said in a post on his Telegram page shared on Sunday.
US President Donald Trump on Saturday declared the airspace above and around Venezuela “closed in its entirety.”
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei condemned the decision as a blatant violation of fundamental rules of international law, including those governing global air transportation, according to the ministry’s website.
He described the measure as part of Washington’s ongoing provocative and unlawful actions against Venezuela’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and an “arbitrary act” as well as an unprecedented threat to the safety and security of international aviation.
In his Telegram post, the Venezuelan foreign minister hailed Iran’s courageous stance, saying that Tehran and Caracas share common concerns in their pursuit of a just world filled with peace.
“Your courageous and resolute stance in defense of Venezuela’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity resonates deeply with our people. The violation of fundamental norms and principles of international law, as well as the threats to the safety and security of international aviation, are shared concerns that unite us in our struggle for a world of justice, dignity, and peace,” the post added.
Trump announced the closure of Venezuela’s airspace as his administration has increased pressure on President Nicolás Maduro’s government with a major military deployment in the Caribbean. The US took this step in recent weeks after launching a series of airstrikes, beginning in September, against boats off Venezuela’s coast under the pretext of combating drug trafficking into the United States.
Iran has, on numerous occasions, denounced the United States’ military buildup in the Caribbean.
Recently, in a phone conversation with his Venezuelan counterpart Yván Gil Pinto, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi touched upon the growing danger posed to global peace and stability by Washington’s “belligerent unilateralism.”
Araghchi further condemned unfounded accusations levelled against the Venezuelan government by the US and Washington’s threat to use force against the country, reiterating Iran’s solidarity with Venezuela.
Since late August, Washington has sent warships, surveillance aircraft, and special operations units to the southern Caribbean, culminating this month with the deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group.
The US has since launched dozens of strikes on vessels, killing more than 80 people, claiming they were drug traffickers, while failing to provide any evidence to back up the claims. Legal experts have condemned the US military’s extrajudicial killing of victims as unlawful.
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