Imam Ayatollah Khamenei says resistance sole way to counter US pressures, hybrid warfare

The Leader pointed to the US’s enormous pressure campaign and hybrid warfare against both Iran and Venezuela and noted, “The successful experience of the two countries showed that resistance is the only way to counter such pressures.”

Ayatollah Khamenei made the remarks in a meeting with the visiting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Tehran on Saturday.

The Leader lauded the victory of the Venezuelan government and nation in a tough struggle against the US and a hybrid and all-out war it has waged against Caracas and stated, “Your resistance and that of the people of Venezuela is very valuable because it enhances the value, status and merits of a nation and a country as well as its leaders.”

“Today, the US views Venezuela in a different [manner] compared to the past,” the Leader said.

Praising the progress Iran has made in science and technology in the face of US sanctions, Ayatollah Khamenei said “such major steps have been taken under the circumstances that the heaviest and most unprecedented sanctions and pressures have been imposed on the Iranian nation, and the Americans themselves called it the ‘maximum pressure’ [policy].”

Since leaving the 2015 Iran deal, the US has been leading a so-called maximum pressure campaign against the Islamic Republic, using the tool of sanctions and economic pressure to force Tehran to bow to its demands, but to no avail.     

In his remarks, the Leader also welcomed a 20-year partnership agreement signed between Tehran and Caracas aimed at bolstering bilateral cooperation in various fields, and emphasized that the Iranian and Venezuelan governments must further strengthen their relationship.

In order to have long-term cooperation, it is necessary to pursue and implement agreements, Ayatollah Khamenei pointed out.

Referring to cordial ties between Iran and Venezuela, the Leader stated, “The two countries do not have such close relations with any [other] country, and the Islamic Republic of Iran has shown that it takes risks in times of danger and offers a helping hand to its friends.”

Ayatollah Khamenei also commended Maduro’s anti-Zionism stance as “very genuine and brave.”

During the meeting, which was also attended by Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi, the Venezuelan president thanked Iran’s support for the people of his country in their hard battle against US pressure.

He pointed to the dire economic situation that Venezuela has been facing in recent years, and said the US has started a gradual war of attrition and multi-dimension warfare against Caracas.

However, Venezuela has succeeded in fully confronting the US aggression through resistance and making use of the opportunities arisen as a result of sanctions, Maduro said, adding that the South American country is now facing better conditions in comparison with previous years.

He also noted that Venezuela is drawing up a precise roadmap for improving cooperation with Iran in various fields, particularly science and technology.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Venezuelan president voiced support for Palestinians and said that is why the Zionist regime has been hatching plots against Caracas through Israeli spy agency Mossad.

In January 2019, Venezuelan opposition figure Juan Guaido, propped up by the US, declared himself “interim president” of Venezuela and later launched an abortive coup. The Venezuelan government said the botched coup was aided by the US as well as Israeli “agents.”

There was also an attempt at assassinating Maduro with a drone in 2018.