Cuba, Iran Discuss Cooperation to Thwart U.S. Sanctions
TEHRAN -- Iran’s Foreign
Minister Hussein Amir-Abdollahian has blast Washington’s sanctions on other countries, including the Islamic Republic and South American countries, saying such a policy is doomed to fail.
“The United States’ policy of unilateral sanctions and bullying is doomed to fail,” Iran’s top diplomat made the remark in an early Sunday meeting with his Cuban counterpart, Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, in Havana.
Amir-Abdollahian also condemned Washington’s interventions in Cuba’s internal affairs and its attempt to stoke unrest in the Central American country on July 11, 2022.
“The U.S. and some other Western countries pursue the hybrid policy of sanctions and intervention through stoking and encouraging riots in independent countries of the world,” the minister said.
He said political relations between Tehran and Havana are at the highest level, as both countries share the same views and pursue similar goals in their effort to remain independent and oppose unilateralism.
The Cuban minister, for his part, welcomed the visit by the Iranian delegation to his country, describing relations with the Islamic Republic as a priority for Cuba.
He also condemned unilateral sanctions and intervention in other countries’ affairs, while extending his gratitude to Tehran for the latter’s support for his country.
After his arrival in Cuba, Amir-Abdollahian, who has already traveled to Nicaragua and Venezuela as part of his Central and South American tour, met with Cuba’s President Miguel Díaz-Canel.
During the meeting, the two sides discussed matters of mutual interest at bilateral and international levels.
Amir-Abdollahian pointed to the two countries’ historic and friendly relations, reemphasizing Iran’s determination to further bolster and develop mutual cooperation.
He also voiced Tehran’s “categorical support” for Havana, while condemning sanctions imposed on Cuba and foreign intervention in the country’s internal affairs.
Díaz-Canel, for his part, said, “Despite all the existing pressures, Cuba is determined to cooperate with friendly countries and work towards the elimination of obstacles and challenges that lie ahead.”
“The U.S. government only thinks about its own interests and does not care about others,” the Cuban president said, adding, “We have earned our political independence at a high price and will preserve it.”
He said the ongoing developments in Latin America and elsewhere in the world are creating new opportunities for bolstering multilateralism.
Amir-Abdollahian dismissed unilateralism as “an obsolete doctrine” in the face of unfolding developments across the globe.
He rejected unilateralism as an outdated and behind-the-times approach, which cannot respond to the developments and great changes that are taking place worldwide.
In his meeting with Cuban Deputy Prime Minister Ricardo Cabrisas
Ruiz, Amir-Abdollahian stressed the need to enhance Tehran’s relations with Cuba in various fields.
He said the Islamic Republic is determined to promote political relations with the Central American state, describing the economic cooperation between the two countries as extensive and outstanding.
Cabrisas Ruiz, for his part, called for facilitating and expanding trade interactions and improving economic relations between Cuba and Iran.