Pars Today

The Free World is resolved to confront the bullying of the US and its extra-territorial measures against independent countries.

In this regard, Tom O’Connor has written for Newsweek, a report titled: “Russia, China and Iran defend Venezuela, warn US against mischief”.

China, Iran and Russia have defended their support of the legal and legitimate president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, despite the futile efforts of the US to try to oust him.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s gangster like remarks that all options are on the table in ensuring the departure of Maduro, have been strongly criticized by China, which said he has lost his mind.

China, along with Russia, and Iran, are among the world powers, backing the Venezuelan president.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the 27th Assembly of the Council of Foreign and Defense Policy in Moscow recently: “The Americans are openly meddling in the internal affairs of sovereign countries. Venezuela is on everyone’s lips. Their regime-change blitz has failed. But the Americans are not giving up their aim to topple the legitimate president.”

He also criticized the "notorious" 19th-century Monroe Doctrine, which was originally conceived to expel European colonial powers from Latin America, and often invoked—mostly recently last Wednesday by White House national security adviser John Bolton—to justify suppressing the rise of socialism and other movements deemed adversarial to US interests in the Western Hemisphere.

As Washington’s and Moscow's geopolitical rivalry once again touched upon Latin America, Russia has sent personnel to Venezuela to fulfill "military-technical cooperation," reportedly to service the S-300 surface-to-air missile defense system and advise on repairs for the country's damaged grid, whose failures the government has blamed on enemy action.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov told Russia's RT outlet recently: “We provide all necessary assistance to our Venezuelan friends on the basis of requests from the legitimate government.”

Pompeo and the US National Security Advisor, John Bolton, have targeted recent moves by China and Iran.

China, which is America's top economic competitor, has sent humanitarian assistance to Venezuela and has also offered to help the country combat its frequent power outages, hit back at Pompeo's comments.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang told reporters in Beijing: “US Secretary of State Pompeo's attempts to slander China and sow discord between China and Latin American countries are irresponsible and nonsensical."

“We are strongly opposed to it,” he continued, adding: “The US has long been treating Latin America as its backyard, where it would resort to willful use of pressure, threat or even subversion. People can tell right from wrong. I am sure Latin American countries are fully capable of telling a true friend from a false one who is ignoring rules and spreading chaos."

Lu added: “I need to point out that for quite some time, certain US politicians have been touring the globe with the same script in their pockets to smear China, starting fires and fanning the flames and sowing discords. Such behaviors are really beneath their dignity. A lie will remain a lie, even if repeated a thousand times. Mr. Pompeo might as well take a break.”

As for the Islamic Republic of Iran, West Asia’s leading power which has been hit by the illegal economic sanctions imposed by the Donald Trump administration, Pompeo raved and ranted on the recent launch of direct flights from Tehran to Caracas by Mahan Air. He alleged “Iran is intervening in South America, which is not in the interests of the US” – while the real meddler is the US.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abbas Mousavi called the remarks of Pompeo "ridiculous". He said that "America's Trump wants to turn Latin America into its own backyard, as it was in the 19th century, forgetting that the nations of the world and Latin America have awakened and the wheel of time does not move backward."

He continued: "While Iranian specialists are trying to improve the water and electricity systems in Venezuela at the request of the government of Caracas, the US has looted $30 billion worth of Venezuela’s foreign exchange reserves. The US move is blatant and arrogant interference in Venezuela's internal affairs and is strongly condemned.”

Those who support US meddling in Venezuela and Latin America, are Albania, Australia, the Zionist regime of Israel, Japan, South Korea and Ukraine, while those backing the legal government of Maduro, include — in addition to China, Cuba, Russia and Iran — Belarus, Bolivia, Cambodia, El Salvador, Lebanon, Mexico, Nicaragua, North Korea, the Palestinian National Authority, Serbia, South Africa, Syria, Turkey and Uruguay.

AS/ME