Iran, Venezuela Sign 20-Year Cooperation Pact During Maduro Visit

Malley said in a tweet on Friday that Washington and Seoul “are committed to coordinating our efforts across a wide range of shared interests on Iran.”

He did not elaborate on what exactly was discussed but the two diplomats probably talked about the Islamic Republic’s frozen assets in Korean banks due to US sanctions. 

Since the beginning of the year, Iran and South Korea announced on several occasions that they would start negotiations to devise a mechanism to release the funds frozen, but nothing materialized.

Two South Korea banks hold $7-9 billion of Iranian money, owed for oil imports, but the funds are locked under US sanctions, which were reimposed after former President Donald Trump in 2018 withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal, Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

In April, Iranian media said $7 billion of Iran's frozen funds in South Korea will be freed in exchange for the release of three American dual citizens held as hostages in Tehran.

Iranian hardliner newspaper funded by Iran’s Supreme Leader suggested later in April that Iran must close the Strait of Hormuz to South Korean vessels until Seoul releases $7 billion frozen funds.

US National Security advisor Jake Sullivan said in May that Iran’s money in South Korea and elsewhere will remain frozen as long as a nuclear deal has not been reached.

The rial approached 330,000 to one US dollar, falling by more than 25 percent since the end of March and tenfold since 2017, when it traded at around 33,000.

The drop came as Iran was censured by a resolution passed in an overwhelming vote at the International Atomic Energy Agency board meeting on Wednesday. The 35-nation board of governors criticized Tehran for not cooperating with the UN nuclear watchdog.

Iran’s nuclear talks with the United States and its European allies to restore the 2015 agreement known as JCPOA came to a halt in early March, prompting pessimism over the prospects of lifting US sanctions and providing a lifeline to Iran’s economy.

Food prices have soared since early May when the government lifted import subsidies for essential goods to save foreign currency. Economists in Tehran have warned of triple-digit inflation in the coming months.

Anti-government Protests took place in May as prices soared and the political environment remains highly volatile.

US oil export and banking sanctions imposed against Iran in 2018 by the former US administration triggered a serious economic crisis that has gotten worse amid government inefficiency.

The rial was trading at 70 against the US dollar in 1978, before the Islamic revolution. The currency has fallen close to 5,000-fold in 44 years.

Syria closed the Damascus International Airport on Friday “until further notice” after Israeli air strikes damaged the airstrip and a terminal, the transport ministry said.

Hardliner media in Tehran Saturday morning barely mentioned the attack, excpet carrying the condemnation of the Iranian foreign minister.

As the news about the Israeli raid spread, Mohsen Rezaei, a former chief commander of the Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) and a vice president in the government, said at a ceremony in Tehran Friday morning that “I wish Israel would dare to take a wrong step and give us an excuse, so we could eradicate it from this earth.”

But Rezaei, known for his boisterous comments, was not referring to the attack on the Damascus airport. His comments were a reaction to recent Israeli statements threatening to take action against the Islamic Republic.

The only Iranian reaction to Friday’s attack worth noting was the response of the foreign ministry. Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian condemned the attack as a "clear violation of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity... (and) contrary to international law and human principles", in a phone call with his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad, Iran's state media reported.

Israeli attacks against the Damascus airport and targets in its vicinity said to house weapons and Iran-backed forces have been a regular occurrence in recent years.

But this time the attack seems to have been more direct and punishing. The transport ministry on Friday said the airport had stopped all flights, and a later statement said Israeli air strikes damaged the runway and one of the terminals.

“As a result of this damage, all arriving and departing flights at the airport have been suspended until further notice,” the ministry’s second statement said.

Maria Zakharova, Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson, condemned the Israeli attack. “In this regard, we are forced to emphasize again that the ongoing Israeli shelling of the Syria territory … is absolutely unacceptable. We strongly condemn Israel’s provocative attack on critical Syrian civilian infrastructure,” Sputnik quoted a published statement as saying.

Last month, there were reports that Russia is withdrawing forces from Syria and possibly handing control of some bases to Iranian forces, because of its hard-pressed military situation in Ukraine.

There were also speculations if Israel will become more emboldened in taking action against Iran in Syria.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Friday the Israeli bombing had damaged the runway after targeting "warehouses of Iranian militias" near the airport.

An Israeli military spokesperson declined to comment, Reuters reported.

For several years, Israel has been attacking what it has described as Iranian-linked targets in Syria, where Tehran-backed forces, including Lebanon's Hezbollah, have deployed to help President Bashar al-Assad. But there was clear political coordination with Russia, as former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Moscow multiple times and held long discussions with President Vladimir Putin.

Maduro, who arrived in Tehran on Friday one day ahead of the announced schedule, made the remarks in an interview with Iran's state-run Spanish-language television channel Hispan TV.

He also announced that a 20-year cooperation plan with Iran will be signed between the two countries.

Describing Venezuela and Iran as the pioneers of shaping a world free of imperialism and dominant powers, Maduro said, “The era of the United States' military dominance of the world is over.”

He also urged sharing know-how with Iran in all fields, and hailed the Islamic Republic's “courageous move” to send fuel tankers to his energy-hungry nation despite US sanctions and threats.

He added that the delegation accompanying him to Tehran is aiming at facilitating further investments from Iran, noting that Iranians’ willingness to work in Venezuela indicates that resisting the US sanctions will eventually bear fruit.

Iran and Venezuela have been slapped with sanctions by the US, which doesn’t currently import oil from either nation, and has in recent years reimposed sanctions on Iranian state entities, including the national oil company NIOC, and in 2019 blacklisted PDVSA.

The two countries strengthened their cooperation in 2020, with Venezuela importing condensate from Iran, key to thinning its extra-thick crude oil. Iran has also stepped in to help its South American ally with engineers, refined products and spare parts for its oil industry.

The deputy commander of the Iranian police, Brigadier-General Ghasem Rezaei, made the announcement during a ceremony where some of the equipment was handed over to special units, including 527 vehicles and motorcycles.

Rezaei said that the new equipment and vehicles will help the operational units better execute their missions and is aimed at "strengthening the security of the country." 

In addition to enhancing operational mobility, some of the new equipment provides police forces with “self-protection” during missions, he added. 

Iran has tens of thousands of special police and security units that are often deployed to break up antigovernmental protests that have become more frequent since 2017.

In November 2019, when a sudden government price increase for fuel was announced and nationwide demonstrations began, these security forces were ordered to shoot unarmed protesters, killing at least 1,500 people in a matter of a few days.

Last year, special forces were used in two provinces to quell protests during which more than ten people were killed and hundreds wounded.