CARACAS.- The ambassador of Iran In Caracas, Ali Chegini, indirectly recognized the complaints of the opposition leader María Corina Machado, who said that Venezuela is the only country in the hemisphere with the capacity to manufacture Iranian combat drones.
In statements offered from a march convened by Chavismo in Caracas, Chegini defended the “right” of the Venezuelan regime to strengthen his military capacity with Iranian support for the “legitimate defense.”
“It is the inherent right of Venezuela and the Venezuelan people to possess sufficient armament for legitimate defense (…) We must be more strengthened to defend the freedom and self -determination of our peoples, ”the representative of the Iranian dictatorship, reviewed by The pin.
“We are not settlers”
In addition, the Iranian ambassador affirmed that cooperation between Tehran and Caracas, which dates from the arrival of Hugo Chávez to power in 1999, does not require the approval of third countries.
“We are independent and sovereign countries. We are not settlers from any imperialist country. We are going to do our best to guarantee our national benefits, ”he said.
Iran and Venezuela have signed more than 320 “strategic” agreements in the last 26 years, consolidating a relationship that went from being an ideological alliance under the mandate of Chávez, influenced by the Cuban regime, to a “pragmatic and resistant” cooperation, which challenges the interests of the United States in the western hemisphere.
This Wednesday, the Venezuelan opposition leader denounced in an interview with the journalist Napoleon Bravo that Venezuela is the only country in the hemisphere with the ability to manufacture Iranian combat drones.
Venezuela manufactures Iranian drones
According to Machado, Maduro’s regime would be manufacturing Iranian drones at the Libertador Air Base, located in the Aragua state (center). “Venezuela is a real threat to the hemisphere and the United States. Venezuela is the only country in the hemisphere, in addition to the United States, with the ability to make combat drones. But in the case of Venezuela, those drones are Iranian,” he warned.
In his opinion, the West must understand that the “greatest risk” currently operates from Venezuela. “Who is the great ally of (Vladimir) Putin in Latin America? Nicolás Maduro. Who is the great ally of the Iranian regime in Latin America? Nicolás Maduro (…) This is not containable within our borderS, ”he said.
Machado estimated that cooperation with Iran and Russia makes the situation in Venezuela a issue of “urgency” for the US and the international community.
“Venezuela is in Florida hours, not at the distance of Tehran. You will tell me if in a context as in which we live this it is not a real threat (…) we are talking about a regime that acts as a threat platform for the entire region. And we do not say it for political rhetoric: we say it because There is evidence of active military cooperation with Iran and Russia”He stressed.
