Iran has condemned the United States’ threats to use force against Venezuela’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity, warning against the dangerous consequences of Washington’s acts of adventurism for the Caribbean region’s peace and security.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Thursday, days after the US military deployed three Navy missile destroyers and around 4,000 military personnel to the waters off Venezuela.
The administration of US President Donald Trump also doubled to $50 million a reward for the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, claiming that he is one of the world’s largest narco-traffickers, an allegation rejected by Caracas.
In its statement, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said the US actions, which are a continuation of Washington’s interventionist and illegal policies towards the Venezuelan nation, violate the UN Charter that prohibits the use of force or threats against independent states, and indicate the American administration’s disregard for the basic rules and norms of international law.
It also highlighted the fundamental principles of the UN Charter, namely respect for nations’ right to determine their own fate, and the prohibition of the use of force against independent countries.
It further expressed solidarity with the Venezuelan people and government, and emphasized the urgent need for the Security Council and the UN chief to address the potentially dangerous situation in the Caribbean.
On Monday, Maduro announced the deployment of 4.5 million militiamen throughout the country in response to reports of US naval movements in the region.
He said his plan will involve mobilizing peasant and worker militias “in all factories and workplaces in the country” and providing “missiles and rifles for the working class.”
“We defend our seas, our skies, and our lands. We liberated them. We guard and patrol them. No empire will touch the sacred soil of Venezuela, nor should it touch the sacred soil of South America,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Venezuelan president described the “extravagant, bizarre and outlandish” US threats as “rotten rehashes.”
Venezuela and the US severed formal diplomatic relations in 2019 after the latter backed opposition leader Juan Guaido in the Latin American country’s presidential election. The US government has not recognized Maduro’s last two electoral victories.