Iranian oil minister meets Venezuela’s Maduro in Caracas

Venezuelan chief says talks aimed toward deepening ‘ties of brotherhood and cooperation in vitality issues’.

President Nicolas Maduro (2-L) shaking hands with Iran's Oil Minister Javad Owj
Nicolas Maduro shaking palms with Iranian oil minister Javad Owji in Caracas [Venezuelan Presidency via AFP]

Iran’s oil minister has paid an official go to to ally Venezuela the place he met President Nicolas Maduro and mentioned methods to “overcome” the consequences of sanctions imposed by the USA in opposition to each nations, in keeping with officers.

“I obtained His Excellency Javad Owji, petroleum minister of the sister Islamic Republic of Iran,” Maduro stated on Twitter on Monday, calling it “a productive assembly to deepen the ties of brotherhood and cooperation in vitality issues”.

State tv confirmed pictures of the assembly on the presidential palace within the capital, Caracas.

Earlier within the day, Owji met his counterpart, Tareck El Aissami, to debate “the development of routes and mechanisms to beat the unilateral coercive measures imposed by the USA authorities and allied nations”, in keeping with a press release from the Venezuelan petroleum ministry.

El Aissami, who has been sanctioned by the US for alleged drug trafficking, posted a video on Instagram on Monday of him receiving Owji at his workplace with a handshake.

Owji’s go to to Venezuela got here simply weeks after a US delegation held a gathering with Maduro, whose very legitimacy as president Washington disputes, as international oil costs jumped as a result of battle on Ukraine.

The assembly in March raised questions within the US, as each Democrats and Republicans condemned the prospect of lifting sanctions to import Venezuelan oil amid Washington’s efforts to isolate Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. The blowback prompted the White Home later to make clear it was not in “lively dialog” with Venezuela on oil imports.

Venezuela sits on the world’s largest confirmed reserves of crude oil, whereas Iran is a significant oil producer and stated final month that manufacturing capability was again to ranges earlier than the reimposition of US sanctions in 2018.

Bilateral ties between the 2 nations have been robust beneath the 1999-2013 reign of socialist chief Hugo Chavez and bolstered additional beneath his successor, Maduro.

Venezuela, beneath strict US sanctions that it blames for the collapse of its once-flourishing oil trade, has robust allies additionally in Russia and China.

In 2020, Venezuela obtained two shiploads of gasoline and derivatives from Iran to assist tackle crippling home shortages.

Additionally in the identical 12 months, on a go to to Caracas, then-Iranian Overseas Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif stated his nation would stay on Venezuela’s “facet”.

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