Iran's President Raisi after strategic ties in South America tour
Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi has started a three-country tour of South America with the aim of bolstering political and economic ties with allies who oppose Western rule.
The president departed Tehran in the early hours of Monday and is expected to make state visits to Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua, all countries that are also sanctioned by the United States.
Iranian state media said the 5-day tour will begin with a visit to Venezuela. This is Raisi's 13th foreign trip in the 21 months since the start of his presidency.
The president is accompanied by his ministers of foreign affairs, petroleum, defence and health, along with his chief of staff and deputy for political affairs.
'Relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and independent countries in Latin America are strategic. The position of us and these three countries is to stand against imperialism and unilateralism,' President Raisi said before departing.
Among Iran's President three destinations, Iran enjoys the closest ties with Venezuela.
The two nations signed a 20-year cooperation plan they said would take bilateral relations to a 'strategic' level during a visit by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to Tehran previous year, when he also met Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
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