Iran Ready to Promote Relations With Nicaragua

Lauding the strategic relations between Iran and Nicaragua, their common stances against hegemonic powers, and their mutual values in favor of independence and freedom, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi voiced Tehran’s readiness to promote cooperation with Managua in various fields.

The Iranian president arrived in Nicaragua on Tuesday evening local time on the second leg of a tour of Latin America that took him earlier to Venezuela.

After receiving an official welcome from his Nicaraguan counterpart Daniel Ortega, Raisi honored the national heroes of the fight against imperialism in the two countries, according to his website.

The Iranian president called the Nicaraguan people’s resistance against arrogance the secret of the nation’s victory, and said, “The Islamic Republic of Iran is a democratic system and in the 44 years that have passed since the victory of the Islamic Revolution, people’s vote has shaped all the institutions of the Islamic Republic.”

Raisi dismissed the Westerners’ false claims of democracy and human rights, noting, “Westerners, especially Americans, should respect the systems that emerge from people’s votes, but they are doing the opposite.”

“America wanted to stop our nation with sanctions and threats, but our nation not only did not stop, but instead, it used the threats and sanctions to build and progress,” he said.

Referring to the role of the US in the creation of the self-styled Islamic State terror group and the policy of the Islamic Republic in fighting against terrorism, Raisi said, “They claim to fight terrorism, but they martyred the hero of fighting terrorism, General Qassem Soleimani.”

Ortega referred to the simultaneity of the revolutions of Iran and Nicaragua and said, “The revolutions of the two countries had strong roots in fighting domination, especially the United States, which has always sought to impose its will on others.”

The Nicaraguan president described hegemony as part of the nature of imperialism and added, “The arrogant powers put pressure on independent countries under the pretext of human rights and democracy, but we will stand against them with strength.”

He also praised the national heroes of the two countries, condemned the US assassination of General Soleimani, and declared a minute of silence in honor of the Iranian hero of fighting terrorism.

Negation of Unilateralism

Heading a high-ranking politico-economic delegation, Raisi had earlier visited Venezuela and will set off for Cuba later.

Speaking at a joint meeting of the high-ranking delegations of Iran and Venezuela on Monday afternoon local time, the Iranian president said a new world order is being formed in favor of freedom-seeking, independent countries, stressing that resistance against the arrogant powers has led to significant achievements.

In the presence of Raisi and his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro, the two countries’ ministers and other top officials signed a total of 19 cooperation agreements and memorandums of understanding.

The agreements are aimed at expanding cooperation between Tehran and Caracas in many areas, including in the field of petrochemicals, as the two sides move to expand overall cooperation in the oil sector.

Commenting on Raisi’s visit to Nicaragua, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said “negation of unilateralism” is the common policy of both Iran and the Latin American country.

In a Wednesday post on his Twitter account, Amir-Abdollahian said part of the Iranian administration’s “balanced foreign policy” is to take into consideration the capacities of Latin American countries.

The top Iranian diplomat emphasized that the positive records of political solidarity between Tehran and Managua in international organizations can expedite the development of bilateral cooperation.

The president also addressed Venezuela’s university students and young elites at the Teresa Carreno Cultural Complex in the capital Caracas on Tuesday as he discussed contemporary geopolitics and the perspectives of the new world order.

Raisi has rebuked the Western hegemony seeking to dominate the world, saying the only way to confront the enemy is through resistance and steadfastness.

“This mentality is completely wrong that by surrendering to the enemy, it will retreat. We should not give in to an enemy that intends to plunder the entire material and spiritual interests of the nations,” Raisi said. “The Iranian nation’s experience has shown that the only way to confront the enemy is to stand up and resist.”

Stressing that today’s world order benefits those seeking domination, the Iranian president said, “The current international order is the order that favors imperialism and only seeks dominance over the people. What they demand is that we ... sell our natural resources, and grant them to whoever they want, [but] not for the benefit of our peoples.”

Prerequisites for Victory

Raisi said there are two prerequisites for the victory of a nation, namely relying on God and trusting in the nation’s own assets. “Some people believe that the enemy will give in or back down if we bow down. However, we will defeat the enemy as long as there is resistance.”

The Iranian top official added that today’s unjust international order has some means and tools, including the media empire and the issue of human rights, to advance its goals.

“The Americans are the first violators of human rights, but they condemn others while doing so,” Raisi noted.

Emphasizing that the Islamic Republic is opposed to any kind of war and military intervention, the president said, “Any country that wants to live independently will be sanctioned and threatened by the hegemonic system.”

Raisi noted that the hegemonic system interferes in the internal affairs of independent countries, adding that, for instance, the great people of Venezuela saw how the Americans wanted to interfere in their destiny.

“We will resist until a new international order is established. We have been with the Venezuelan people in difficult days and we will stay together,” he said, adding that “independent countries are coming to the fore, while imperialism is in decline. This means a great future for the peoples of Iran, Venezuela, and other sovereign countries.”