Iran and Venezuela reiterated their willingness to resist U.S. pressure during President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's visit to Caracas that cemented an anti-U.S. front with President Hugo Chavez, Reuters news agency reported.
Reports say President Ahmadinejad, who arrived in Venezuela on Sunday for a two-day visit, signed more than 30 bilateral agreements with his Venezuelan counterpart.
According to the BBC, the signed accords include the establishment of a joint petrochemical and steel company and a shared firm for the exploration of petroleum.
Although Iranian-Venezuelan ties have previously focused on cooperation between the two major oil producers, the recent visit stresses Ahmadinejad and Chavez's new bond in standing up to the United States, correspondents say.
Both leaders are vocal critics of the Bush administration, which claims that Chavez is a destabilizing factor in Latin America, and that Ahmadinejad is trying to develop nuclear weapons.
On arrival at Caracas airport, Ahmadinejad said: "The distance between our countries may be a bit far, but the hearts and thoughts are very close... We have a common thinking, common interests,
"I salute all the revolutionaries who oppose world hegemony," he added, apparently referring to the United States.
"We have to be united," Ahmadinejad said.
The Iranian leader also stressed Tehran's support for Venezuela's bid for a rotating seat on the 15-nation UN Security Council.
"Union seeking balance"
For his part, President Chavez said that Ahmadinejad's visit would boost the strategic alliance between the two states, denying Washington's claims that the trip was aimed at securing Venezuela's uranium for Tehran's nuclear program.
"They don't get tired of lying," he said.
Chavez also hailed Iran's Islamic form of government and said it was time Islam was no longer demonized in the world as a religion.
Iran and Venezuela want "a union that seeks a balance in the world and to save the future of your children, my children and our grandchildren", the Venezuelan President said.
"They (the Iranians) are threatened by the American empire. The empire does not want any nation to develop," he added.
Chavez, who backs Iran's right to develop a peaceful nuclear program, said that his country would ask for Tehran's assistance if it ever developed a nuclear program.
The Venezuelan leader also reiterated comments he made at the weekend that his country would defend Iran in case the United States attacked its nuclear sites.
Many analysts say Washington could use force against the Islamic Republic if it fails to secure a UN Security Council resolution imposing sanctions on Tehran.
Chavez and Ahmadinejad are due to attend this week's UN General Assembly in New York, where the Iranian leader is expected to lobby for his country's nuclear program, which he insists is for peaceful purposes.
Both leaders have attended the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Cuba, which called on developing nations to challenge U.S. dominance and defended Venezuela as well as other countries' rights to determine their own forms of government.
Source: Agencies
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