LATIN AMERICA Venezuela and Iran Strengthen Relations OE Watch Commentary: During a three-day visit to Iran in late January, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza met with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. During the visit, Venezuelan news source Telesur printed Tweets made by Arreaza as well as a comment he made regarding Venezuela’s resolve to maintain strong relations with Iran. Arreaza first tweeted that, “It was an honor to be welcomed by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. Venezuela sends warm greetings from President Nicolas Maduro and looks forward to providing you details regarding positive results achieved from cooperation by our nations during this visit.” In a second tweet Arreaza indicated that, “We (Venezuela) have learned many things from Iran that have allowed us to develop our economy and overcome the blockade.” Arreaza’s second tweet refers to economic sanctions imposed on Venezuela by the United States. Arreaza also commented to Telesur that Venezuela would continue their relationship with Iran even if it meant that economic sanctions would not be lifted by the United States. This resolve is reflected in the continued planning for more visits between the two nations, during which time additional agreements will be signed. As the article from Panam Post reports, Venezuela and Iran also signed agreements in November 2019 but some security specialists fear these may strengthen the Maduro administration or serve as a front for the entrance of the Iranian military into Venezuela. End OE Watch Commentary (Fiegel) Venezuelan President, Nicolás Maduro in meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in Saadabad Palace. Source: Tasnim News Agency via Wikimedia, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nicol%C3%A1s_ Maduro_in_meeting_with_Iranian_President_Hassan_Rouhani_in_Saadabad_Palace.jpg, CC by 4.0 “Our [Venezuela’s] relationship with Iran will continue to prosper despite aggressions imposed by the United States against our sovereign nations.” -Venezuelan Minister of Foreign Affairs Jorge Arreaza Source: Arreaza: Nuestra relación con Irán seguirá floreciendo (Arreaza: Our Relations with Iran Will Continue to Thrive),”Telesur , 21 January 2020. https://www.telesurtv.net/news/venezuela-iran-canciller-jorge-arreaza-balance-gira-oficial-20200121-0007.html Jorge Arreaza Tweets regarding Venezuelan support to Iran, positive results obtained from cooperation between Iran and Venezuela and how Iran has helped Venezuela overcome economic sanctions imposed by the United States --“It was an honor to be welcomed by Iranian President Hasan Rouhani. Venezuela sends warm greetings from President Nicolas Maduro and looks forward to providing you details regarding positive results achieved from cooperation by our nations during this visit.”-- “Our (Venezuela’s) relationship with Iran will continue to prosper despite aggressions imposed by the United States against our sovereign nations.” “We (Venezuela) have learned many things from Iran that have allowed us to develop our economy and overcome the blockade.” Source: Martin, Sabrina, “Venezuela e Irán firman acuerdo que afectaría la seguridad de la región (Venezuela and Iran Sign Agreement That Could Threaten Regional Security),” Panam Post, 13 November 2019. https://es.panampost.com/sabrina-martin/2019/11/08/venezuela-e-iran- firman-acuerdo-que-afectaria-la-seguridad-de-la-region/ Iran now has closer ties to Venezuela as they have signed new scientific and technological agreements. The Maduro regime claims that the agreements represent a plan of cooperation in areas to include education, nanotechnology, biotechnology, and engineering. However, security specialist Joseph Humire warned that the new agreements may represent a military and intelligence alliance that will strengthen Maduro’s regime. He further indicated that in recent years, Venezuela has signed numerous commercial, military, and industrial agreements with Iran and that much of the trade could be a front for the entry of Iranian military. OE Watch | April 2020 72.