Iran will counter any US antagonism

Iran’s Defense Minister General Ahmad Vahidi says that the country is prepared to counter any “hostile and unwise behavior” initiated by the United States.

He made the remarks during a press conference in the capital of Bolivia, La Paz, on the sidelines of an inauguration ceremony of a defense academy for members of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas (ALBA), which includes Latin American and Caribbean nations.

The ALBA is an international cooperation organization built upon social, political, and economic integration between the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.

“Powerful Iran is ready to deliver a firm response to any hostile and unwise behavior by the United States,” said Vahidi, quoted by Fars news agency.

The Iranian minister also described as “illogical and unjustifiable” the recent US sanctions against Venezuela’s state-run oil company for its sale of gasoline products to Iran.

Last month, the US government slapped sanctions on seven foreign companies, including Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), over their transactions with the Islamic Republic as part of a US campaign to tighten sanctions against Tehran over its nuclear program.

“The US has imposed sanctions on Iran for 32 years. The sanctions have no affects on Iran; rather, they have led to the development and empowerment of the country. There is little doubt that the sanctions on the Venezuelan oil company will [also] lead to self-sufficiency, solidarity and empowerment of the country,” Vahidi stressed.

The sanctions will ban the Venezuelan oil company from all US government contracts, US import-export financing and export licenses for sensitive technology. However, it will not stop the company from selling crude oil to the US.

Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro has described the sanctions as “illegal, abusive measures taken this weak by the government of the United States,” and pointed out that “those most affected [by the sanctions] are businesspeople of the United States.”