Raisi's Triad Begins with Arrival in Caracas; Next Destinations Managua and Havana

Ibrahim Raisi, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, began his triad tour of 'friendly countries' Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela— all under U.S. sanctions— with his arrival in Caracas on Tuesday. According to Voice of America, Raisi, who stated before his departure from Tehran that his trip was at the invitation of the presidents of the 'friendly countries' Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba and aimed at improving 'economic, political, and scientific relations,' was welcomed in Caracas by Ivan Gil, Venezuela's Foreign Minister. The President of the thirteenth government mentioned in an interview with IRNA that over the past two years, Iran's cooperation with 'friendly countries' in the fields of industry, agriculture, science, technology, and medicine has developed, noting that these four countries— all allies of Russia— have become a 'pariah in the international arena' since the Russian invasion of Ukraine last year. This war has led to increased global efforts to resolve the political and economic crisis in Venezuela, to the extent that last year, the United States sent representatives to meet with Maduro in Caracas, and with the resumption of negotiations between Maduro's government and the opposition, Washington granted a six-month license to the American energy giant Chevron to operate in Venezuela. The history of relations between officials of the Islamic Republic and Venezuela dates back to the presidencies of Ahmadinejad and Hugo Chavez and is defined within the framework of South-South relations by the Iranian Foreign Ministry. For example, Maduro's visit to Iran in June 2022 resulted in the two countries signing a 20-year agreement to open 'major fronts' for cooperation in the oil, petrochemical, and defense sectors. Additionally, in February, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the Iranian Foreign Minister, visited Caracas and discussed what they called 'defending their national interests in the face of external pressures' with Maduro. In 2020, the Islamic Republic sent 1.5 million barrels of fuel to Venezuela to help restart the troubled refineries of the 'friendly and brotherly country of Venezuela,' an action that prompted Washington to accuse the Islamic Republic of circumventing sanctions. Earlier, Voice of America reported that the contracts between the Islamic Republic and Venezuela were 'mainly pursued for political purposes,' and experts noted that the significant gap between the volume of bilateral trade and Iran's unilateral investment commitments in Venezuela indicates the political nature of the artificially developed relations between Tehran and Caracas. The Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the White House National Security Council stated on Tuesday, June 22, in a press conference in response to Ibrahim Raisi's trip to Latin America that while they do not tell countries in the Latin American region who to engage with, it is the Islamic Republic that needs to clarify the objectives of the President's trip to Latin America. Kirby stated, 'We are always concerned about the destabilizing behaviors of the Islamic Republic and will take necessary measures to counter this behavior.' Additionally, see: John Kirby: The U.S. and Israel have a shared view of the threats posed by the Islamic Republic. Previously, Marco Rubio, a senior Republican senator and member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, tweeted regarding Ibrahim Raisi's trip to Latin American countries, asking, 'What is the Biden administration's strategy to counter the threats of the Islamic Republic in Latin America and the Caribbean?' The member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee addressed Joe Biden, stating, 'Mr. President, the bloodthirsty regime of Iran, responsible for the execution of tens of thousands of political prisoners in Iran in 1988, will soon begin a tour of the Western Hemisphere to meet with the leaders of drug-supporting and criminal regimes.' Also see: The threats of the Islamic Republic in Latin America; Marco Rubio: What is the Biden administration's strategy? This report also utilized news from AFP.