Iran Condemns US Sanctions Against Venezuela

Orinoco Tribune, February 2, 2024 —

The Islamic Republic of Iran condemned the US sanctions against Venezuela and warned that the “use of sanctions as a weapon” violates international law.

“The use of sanctions as a weapon by the United States against other countries violates the rights of governments and peoples, human rights and the principles of international law,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said on Thursday, February 1st, referring to Washington’s threats of not renewing License 44 which provided some relaxations to the US sanctions on Venezuela’s oil and mining sectors.

Kanani made it clear that the use of unilateral coercive measures will only strengthen the will of sovereign countries to band together and counter US interventionist policies.

“Resorting to sanctions is tantamount to direct intervention in the internal affairs of countries and a violation of the United Nations Charter. So the continuation of these measures will increase the will and cooperation of independent countries to resist such interventionist policies,” he said.

The Iranian diplomat’s statements come after the US announced on December 30th that it “will not renew” License 44 that was issued by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) after the signing of the Barbados Agreement by the government of President Nicolás Maduro and the opposition in October. Washington made the threats in response to the 15-year disqualification of the far-right opposition politician María Corina Machado for several crimes including multiple coup attempts.

The Venezuelan government described the threat as a clear interference in the internal affairs of the country, and a new attempt to destabilize its economy.

Reacting to Washington’s threats, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro affirmed on Wednesday, January 31st, that Venezuelans no longer depend “either on gringos or on anyone” to develop. “Today the world is different… and we no longer depend on gringos or anyone in this world to invest, to prosper, to progress, to advance, to grow,” he said.

Iran and Venezuela, both targets of US unilateral coercive measures, have formed a close alliance. Together, they have been able to bypass the sanctions and expand their cooperation in various sectors including energy, scientific development, oil, defense, culture, economy, and food security.