Maduro discusses defense with Iranian diplomat

CARACAS — Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and the visiting Iranian foreign minister discussed the need for "vigilance in defending their national interests against external pressures", according to a statement issued on Saturday.

The Caracas visit on Friday by Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian underlined the strength of an alliance between two countries seen as outcasts by much of the world, both of them subject to US sanctions.

Maduro received Amir-Abdollahian on Friday evening in the Miraflores presidential palace after the Iranian minister arrived from Nicaragua.

"I am sure that our relations will continue to strengthen for technological, industrial, scientific and cultural exchanges that benefit both peoples," Maduro wrote on Twitter, calling the meeting "productive".

On a visit to Teheran in June, Maduro signed a 20-year pact that he said opened "major fronts" for cooperation in the petroleum, petrochemical and defense sectors.

On Friday, the two parties "emphasized the strengthening and monitoring of projects and accelerating their implementation, as well as vigilance in defending their national interests against external pressures", a statement from the Iranian Foreign Ministry said.

"The parties also welcomed the increase in relations and exchange of views between the officials of the two countries," it said.

Both Venezuela and Iran are oil producers and members of the OPEC cartel, placing them in the middle of international discussions on the energy crisis sparked by the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The United States has since eased its embargo on Venezuelan crude oil, while France has called for a diversification of energy sources, including from Caracas.

In a separate development, Teheran criticized the UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi after the agency raised concerns over covert changes to equipment at its Fordow uranium enrichment plant, state media said on Saturday.

The criticism of Grossi comes after the International Atomic Energy Agency director-general said he plans to visit Teheran this month for talks on getting it to increase cooperation over its activities.

Agencies Via Xinhua