Iran, Cuba and Brazil condemn U.S. invasion of Venezuela

TEHRAN, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has condemned the U.S. "military aggression" against Venezuela and abduction of its President Nicolas Maduro in phone calls with his Cuban and Brazilian counterparts.

During the two phone conversations, Araghchi also discussed the latest regional and international developments as well as bilateral ties with Cuba's Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla and Brazil's Mauro Vieira, according to statements released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry on Monday night.

The U.S. action is in "flagrant violation" of the UN Charter and international law, Araghchi said, urging all governments and the UN to voice their decisive and explicit opposition to Washington's "dangerous law-breaking."

He warned about the "precarious" consequences of U.S. "bullying" for the rule of law in international relations, stressing that such unilateral actions severely threatened the foundations of the international law-based world order and normalize the use of force against states.

Rodriguez condemned the U.S. "illegal" actions in the Caribbean and Latin America, especially its "unlawful invasion" against Venezuela and the abduction of its president, saying such actions compromised the region's security.

He expressed Cuba's determination to stand against any foreign threat and highlighted the necessity to enhance cooperation and ensure coordination among friendly countries to counter such "belligerent" unilateralism.

Vieira also denounced the U.S. actions against Venezuela as "clear violations" of the UN Charter, stressing that the issue will be pursued at the meetings of the UN Security Council, the Organization of American States, and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.

The three ministers called for greater and closer bilateral and multilateral cooperation and coordination among developing countries as well as within the Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the UN and the Non-Aligned Movement to counter unilateralism and support international law and the UN Charter's principles, read the statements.

The U.S. military struck Venezuela on Saturday, capturing President Maduro and his wife and transferring them to the United States.

For months, the United States has maintained a significant military presence in the Caribbean, much of it off Venezuela's coast, purportedly to combat drug trafficking -- a claim Venezuela has denounced as an attempt to bring about regime change in Caracas.■