Venezuela summoned Iran’s ambassador on Tuesday to protest remarks by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi that Caracas described as “contemptuous and inappropriate,” the foreign ministry said.
“The ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Venezuela was summoned to the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry to receive a note of protest over the contemptuous and inappropriate remarks made against Venezuela’s institutions and authorities,” the ministry said in a statement posted on social media.
Venezuelan authorities did not specify which remarks prompted the protest. However, videos circulating online appear to show Araghchi saying Iran is “not Venezuela” when referring to negotiations with the United States.
Longstanding alliance under strain
The diplomatic dispute could mark a rare strain in ties between the two oil-producing countries, which have maintained close political and economic relations since the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez took office in 1999.
United by anti-US rhetoric, Caracas and Tehran have expanded cooperation over the past three decades through agreements covering the energy, mining, health and education sectors.
