Venezuela – News Agency nabakhabar

Iran’s Oil Minister in Venezuela to Deepen Bilateral Ties

News Agency nabakhabar — Sat, 03 Feb 2024 16:35:49 +0000

Iranian Oil Minister Javad Owji has traveled to Venezuela for talks on the promotion of cooperation with the Latin American nation in the energy industry.

Owji, who left Tehran for Caracas on Wednesday evening, is going to hold meetings with Venezuela’s Petroleum Minister Pedro Rafael Tellechea, energy minister, and other high-ranking officials.

The Iranian oil minister will weigh plans for cooperation on a range of issues including the export of technical and engineering services to Venezuela, the construction of extraterritorial refineries, the overhaul of refineries, marketing for the private sector of Iran’s oil industry, especially in the petrochemical field, and investment in the oil and energy industries of Venezuela.

Iran’s oil industry has great capacities for active presence in the lucrative market of Venezuela.

Iran’s Oil Ministry has stepped up efforts in recent years to promote relations with the Latin American countries as part of the administration’s “energy diplomacy”.

According to statistics, the value of exchanges between Iran and Venezuela in the oil industry has hit $3.5 billion over the past 20 months. This includes trade in the oil and gas condensates, technical-engineering services, oil equipment, as well as rebuilding and overhauling the refinery complexes of Venezuela.

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Venezuela, US reach prisoner swap deal as tensions ease

News Agency nabakhabar — Thu, 21 Dec 2023 08:23:20 +0000

The 10 American prisoners freed by Venezuela in exchange for a jailed ally of President Nicolas Maduro, have arrived back in the United States in the latest sign of improving relations between Washington and Caracas.

The group, including six citizens the US considered wrongly imprisoned, landed at the San Antonio military base in Texas on Wednesday night.

“All the Americans who were wrongfully detained in Venezuela are now safely back in the United States,” US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan wrote on social media platform X. “Welcome home.”

Savoi Wright, who was reportedly arrested and detained in October, told a journalist that while he sometimes received good care, he also feared for his life at times.

“I didn’t know if I would ever make it out,” he said.

Under the prisoner swap announced earlier on Wednesday by the White House, US President Joe Biden granted clemency to Alex Saab, a Colombian businessman and Maduro ally who was being held in a Miami jail awaiting trial on a charge of money laundering.

Saab was also released from custody and returned to Venezuela on Wednesday, the Venezuelan government said.

US prosecutors have accused Saab of siphoning off $350m from Venezuela via the US in a scheme that involved bribing Venezuelan government officials. He has denied the charge.

“The government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela celebrates with joy the liberation and return to his homeland of our diplomat Alex Saab, who until today was unjustly kidnapped in a U.S. jail,” the Venezuelan government said in a statement.

Reporting from Bogota, Colombia, Al Jazeera’s Alessandro Rampietti said Saab was seen as being “very close” to the Venezuelan leader.

“Alex Saab is a Colombian entrepreneur, a very close ally for Nicolas Maduro, a person who is seen here as a bag man for the Venezuelan regime,” Rampietti said.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro embraces Alex Saab outside the Miraflores Palace after he was freed by the US and returned to Venezuela [Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/Reuters]

The White House said Venezuela had also agreed to release at least 20 Venezuelan prisoners, including “political detainees”.

The prisoner swap talks were facilitated by Qatar, the White House said. Qatar’s chief negotiator met Maduro last week.

Six Venezuelan activists have already been freed, according to their lawyer and the wife of one of them. The longtime education campaigners were convicted on conspiracy charges this year and sentenced to 16 years but have proclaimed their innocence.

Venezuela also returned to the US the fugitive Malaysian businessman Leonard Glenn Francis, popularly known as “Fat Leonard”, who orchestrated one of the largest bribery scandals in US military history.

Francis fled the US in September last year on the eve of his scheduled sentencing over his role in the scandal, which involved dozens of US naval officials. He was arrested at Caracas airport as he was preparing to board a plane to another country.

The military contractor pleaded guilty in 2015 to offering prostitution services, luxury travel and hotels, lavish meals and more than $500,000 in bribes to US Navy officials and others to help his Singapore-based ship servicing company, Glenn Defense Marine Asia (GDMA), secure lucrative US naval contracts.

The White House said in recent weeks that it expected to see progress on prisoner releases if it were to continue with sanctions relief for Caracas. The sanctions relief was unveiled in October in response to an agreement by the Venezuelan government to hold fair elections in 2024.

While relations between the US and Venezuela remain uneasy, the two nations have taken steps to ease tensions in recent months.

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Iran-Venezuela relations grown in recent years

News Agency nabakhabar — Sun, 13 Nov 2022 12:17:46 +0000

The relations between Iran and Venezuela have grown in the framework of the 20-year development roadmap of the two countries in recent years, said the head of the Joint Economic Commission of Iran and Venezuela.

Iran’s Minister of Defense Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani who heads the two-day 9th meeting of the Iran-Venezuela Joint Economic Cooperation Commission which is underway in Tehran, said, “The Islamic Republic of Iran and Venezuela as two independent countries with close and common positions regarding many regional and international issues such as independence, the right to self-determination, multilateralism and the need to deal with oppressive sanctions, as well as the development and deepening of bilateral cooperation, have the necessary cooperation in all scientific, economic, industrial, agricultural, energy and cultural dimensions.”

“Iran is pleased to host this major economic event and considers it an opportunity to expand the strategic relations between the two countries as well as expand economic and commercial cooperation in various fields between the public and private sectors of the two countries,” he added.

The 9th meeting of the Iran-Venezuela Joint Economic Cooperation Commission is trying to increase the process of trade relations between the two countries in the context of economic diplomacy, the strategic advantages and the interactions of the parties, especially in dealing with oppressive sanctions, Ashtiani said.

He went on to say, “Holding an exclusive exhibition of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the field of science, technology and industry in 2022 in the city of Caracas, signing numerous technological understandings between the two sides and commercial and economic exchanges between the two countries have been among the most important actions within the past year.”

Referring to the goals and priorities of the commission, Ashtiani said that in the new round of cooperation between the parties, actualizing existing capacities, defining new areas of cooperation, using the capacity of private and knowledge-based companies alongside state companies and organizations, as well as the presence of successful Iranian companies in Venezuela are among the goals of the joint commission.

The relations between Iran and Venezuela have grown in the framework of the 20-year development roadmap of the two countries in recent years under the leadership of the presidents of the two countries, he noted, adding that greater coordination and synergy between the different sectors of the two countries will remove existing obstacles and find solutions based on deepening relations.

“We are sure that with the effort, will, and expansion of cooperation, the commission will become a special and effective place in the relations between the two countries.”

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Iran Congratulates Venezuela on Successful, Transparent Elections

News Agency nabakhabar — Wed, 24 Nov 2021 20:15:40 +0000

The spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry congratulated the Venezuelan government and people on holding local and regional elections successfully and transparently.

In a message on Tuesday, Saeed Khatibzadeh congratulated the “brotherly and friendly” nation of Venezuela on the successful and transparent elections with the participation of over 70,000 candidates.

He hailed the recent elections as a beautiful manifestation of democracy and the unity among people and government in Venezuela for making a better future.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran expresses its support for and solidarity with Venezuela,” Khatibzadeh added.

Venezuela on Sunday held local and regional elections to elect more than 3,000 state governors, mayors and city council members across the South American country.

The polls were observed by more than 130 international monitors, mostly from the European Union, satisfying a longstanding demand of President Nicolas Maduro’s opponents.

More than 21 million Venezuelans were eligible to vote for 23 gubernatorial and 335 mayoral positions, choosing among the more than 70,000 candidates who entered the races.

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Iran, Venezuela Move to Finalize Joint Economic Projects

News Agency nabakhabar — Tue, 05 Oct 2021 16:38:39 +0000

The foreign ministers of Iran and Venezuela weighed plans to carry out the previous agreements between the two countries and finalize details of the joint economic projects.

In a telephone conversation on Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and his Venezuelan counterpart Felix Plasencia talked about the relations between Tehran and Caracas and their mutual cooperation.

The two senior diplomats agreed to pursue the implementation of the previous agreements, formulate a road map to the enhancement of bilateral relations, and finalize the details of joint economic projects during a visit that the foreign minister of Venezuela will pay to Iran in the near future.

Before the official inauguration of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro held talks with him in June about cooperation between Caracas and Tehran in the battle against imperialism.

The Venezuelan president said they had agreed to “strengthen the ties of brotherhood and cooperation” between the two nations “in the joint fight against imperial aggression”.

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Iranian Delegation in Venezuela to Observe Parliamentary Polls

News Agency nabakhabar — Sun, 06 Dec 2020 18:54:59 +0000

Speaking to Tasnim, Chairman of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Mojtaba Zonnouri said the parliamentary delegation has gone to Venezuela at the request of the Caracas government.

The Iranian lawmakers would observe the parliamentary elections in Venezuela on Sunday, he added.

The delegation is comprised of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission’s vice-chair and spokesperson, as well as members of Iran-Venezuela parliamentary friendship group, Zonnouri noted.

Venezuela is holding parliamentary elections on Sunday to decide the makeup of the National Assembly.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Saturday met with observers who arrived in the country to monitor the upcoming parliamentary election.

According to a video tweeted by Maduro, the Venezuelan leader met observer delegations from Iran, Russia, and Turkey.

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Buying Iranian missiles ‘a good idea’ for Venezuela: Maduro

News Agency nabakhabar — Tue, 25 Aug 2020 15:41:18 +0000

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Saturday said it would be a “good idea” to look into buying missiles from Iran, a day after Colombia said Venezuela was considering such a plan amid growing ties between Caracas and Tehran, Reuters reported.

“It had not occurred to me, it had not occurred to us,” Maduro said during a televised broadcast with cabinet members, instructing Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino to follow up and jokingly telling his cabinet to keep the plan a secret.

“Padrino, what a good idea, to speak with Iran to see what short, medium and long range missiles they have, and if it is possible, given the great relations we have with Iran.”

Iranian officials have not yet reacted to this news and Maduro’s remarks.

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Oil tankers seized by US ‘not Iranian’

News Agency nabakhabar — Thu, 20 Aug 2020 16:14:41 +0000

“Neither the ships nor the cargoes belong to Iran, rather, these cargoes include gasoline sold by Iran to Venezuela,” Zanganeh said.

“America is looking for a victory for itself,” he noted.

“The oil tankers were carrying Iranian fuel sold F.O.B Persian Gulf to Venezuela,” the minister added.

In a statement on Friday, August 14, the US Justice Department claimed it has seized Iranian fuel from four tankers that were bound for Venezuela.

However, an informed Iranian source has told Press TV that the report that the US has seized Iranian fuel cargoes aboard ships bound for Venezuela is false.

The informed source explained on Friday that the fuel shipments in question had already been purchased and paid for and that neither the vessels carrying them nor the shipments themselves were related to Iran.

The Wall Street Journal had on Thursday, August 15 cited US officials as saying that the U.S. government had for the first time seized vessels allegedly carrying Iranian gasoline to Venezuela. It said the US had recently seized four vessels, called Luna, Pandi, Bering, and Bella, on the high seas and they were being transferred to Houston, Texas.

On the same day, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that hollow propaganda does not deflect from the miserable failure of US diplomatic malpractice at UN.

In a tweet on Saturday, Zarif referred to a claim made by the US regarding the seizure of Iranian fuel and wrote, “Pirates of the Caribbean have their own judges and courts now. Sadly for them, stolen booty wasn’t Iran’s. Fuel was sold F.O.B. Persian Gulf. Ship and flag weren’t ours either. Hollow, cheap propaganda doesn’t deflect from the miserable failure of US diplomatic malpractice at the UN.”

Also, Iranian ambassador to Venezuela dismissed the reports of US’ seizure of Venezuela-bound Iranian fuel as a ‘lie’ and continuation of ‘psychological war’ against Iran.

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New US rep. for Iran indicates Trump’s confusion

News Agency nabakhabar — Tue, 11 Aug 2020 10:07:49 +0000

In a tweet on Sunday, he referred to the resignation of US special representative for Iran, Brian Hook, and wrote that the appointment of Elliott Abrams for an impossible mission and putting maximum pressure on Iran shows confusion in Trump’s foreign policy.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi had also reacted to the resignation on Friday and wrote, “No difference between John Bolton, Brian Hook or Elliott Abrams; when it comes to the US #Iran policy, American officials have been bitten off more than they could chew.”

The top US envoy for Iran, Brian Hook, is leaving his post and US special representative for Venezuela, Elliott Abrams, will add Iran to his role “following a transition period” with Hook, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday.

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Iran, Venezuela celebrate 70 years of bilateral relations

News Agency nabakhabar — Mon, 10 Aug 2020 15:30:00 +0000

On Sunday, Venezuela and Iran celebrated 70 years of bilateral relations with a floral offering before the Father of the Nation of the Bolivarian Republic, Simon Bolivar, at the National Pantheon, Telesur reported.

Venezuela’s Vice President of Planning Ricardo Menendez, Foreign Affairs Minister Jorge Arreaza, and Iran’s Ambassador to Venezuela Hojjtollah Soltani, participated in this event.

In his statements, Menendez said, “We are commemorating 70 years of bilateral relations between Iran and Venezuela, and especially in the strategic vision of geopolitics that our country and the Bolivarian Revolution have marked.”

He added that what the two nations share is a geopolitics of peace, integration, and one which is for the improvement of the quality of life for the people of Venezuela.

Menendez recalled that when Hugo Chavez initially conceived relations with Iran, it was precisely “to get closer among equals, between our countries, without any hegemonic factor, or mediation between sovereign countries, that is why our relationship is South-South, between us, without an imperial referee, also characterized by an anti-imperialist conception.”

The Venezuelan authority said that they will be headed for the IX Joint Commission to deepen their relationship in science and technology, in cooperation schemes linked to health and food safety issues affecting the two countries.

Meanwhile, the ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Venezuela, Hojjatollah Soltani, celebrated these 70 years by reflecting on the advancement of “two brother peoples, two peoples in solidarity.”

“We follow the principles of our leaders, the Liberator Simón Bolívar and Ayatollah Khomeini, to establish justice, brotherhood,” said the diplomat.

Despite the US blockades imposed on both Iran and Venezuela, the two countries’ leaders have sought cooperation as reflected with the five Iranian ships that recently arrived in Venezuela transporting fuel.

The two countries also celebrated the opening of an Iranian-Venezuelan supermarket in Caracas at the end of July, which came about through an alliance between the private non-governmental sector of Iran and Venezuela.

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