US Policies Failed in West Asia

Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei referred to the failure of US plans and policies in West Asia and described reduction of global oil prices as a tool to mount pressure on countries that are independent of the US.

In a meeting with visiting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Saturday, the Leader noted that “steadfastness and rational resistance, combined with foresight in the face of pressures, will certainly lead to victory,” according to the official website of the Leader.

Referring to the use of oil as a weapon to create problems for independent countries, Ayatollah Khamenei said, “In the past, when some Islamic countries countered the Zionist regime [of Israel] by cutting off their oil [exports], western countries clamored under the excuse of [condemning] the political use of oil, but unfortunately, the same countries along with some member states of the OPEC [Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries] and some countries in our region, which themselves are harmed by these policies, are currently using oil as a weapon in total coordination with US policies.”

The Leader stated that these plots and hostilities can be overcome by adopting rational policies and increasing cooperation among independent countries.

Stating that the US failed to implement its policies in West Asia in spite of spending “hefty amounts of money from its own pocket” and that of some regional countries, Ayatollah Khamenei said, “Some people think that America is invincible while this notion is a big error and frequent mistakes made by Americans over the past 15 years have caused them to seriously run aground in the region and be hopeless now.”

The Leader noted that the impact that Venezuela has on the anti-arrogance movements in the Latin America region was a sign of this country’s high capacity.

Emphasizing the need to take advantage of the opportunity offered by Venezuela’s chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement, he said, “Western countries do not want the Non-Aligned Movement to become more active, but independent countries must move in the opposite direction to their [western countries’] will.”

Ayatollah Khamenei also underlined the serious decision of the Iranian government to boost cooperation with Venezuela and highlighted the important role played by officials and ministers of the two countries in following up and implementing bilateral agreements.

  Iran’s Resistance Hailed

The Venezuelan president lauded the Iranian nation’s powerful resistance against US hostilities.

“The Iranian nation is living in complete peace and security at a time when, unfortunately, many regional countries and Iran’s neighbors are suffering from wars, divisions and weaknesses,” he said.

Maduro pointed to the sharp decline in oil prices during the past two years and said, “The American imperialism resorted to all kinds of interventions and hostilities against Venezuela, but our nation resisted in the face of this economic war. At present, we are gradually getting out of the economic crisis.”

The Venezuelan president described his negotiations with Iranian officials as successful, adding that “we must do our best to make [bilateral] agreements bear fruit.”