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A30 world news
Dialuna 13 Juni 2022

Venezuelan leader, Iranian president sign 20-year agreement

By AMIR VAHDAT nouncing he would not at-
Associated Press tend.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Raisi praised Maduro as a
Venezuelan leader Nicolas leader "who has shown a
Maduro and Iran's hard-line policy of fighting against im-
president signed a 20-year perialism and has achieved a
cooperation agreement Sat- good position by overcoming
urday, a day after Maduro sanctions and threats."
praised the Islamic Republic Maduro announced that a
for sending badly needed fuel direct flight between Teh-
to his nation despite U.S. ran and Caracas would begin
sanctions. next month.
In an interview with Presi- The semi-official Tasnim
dent Maduro after his arrival news agency later reported
in Tehran for a two-day visit, that Iran had delivered the
Iranian state media report- oil tanker Aframax-2 to Ven-
ed late Friday that Maduro ezuelan officials, the second
hailed Iran's move to send of four vessels Iran was con-
fuel tankers to his energy- tracted to build for the South
hungry nation. American country.
"Tehran's delivery of oil to Amid rising tensions with the
Caracas was a great help to West, Iran has started remov-
the Venezuelan people," he ing 27 surveillance cameras
said. from nuclear sites across the
Maduro's first visit to Iran country, the head of the U.N.
comes amid tensions across atomic watchdog said Thurs-
the Middle East over the col- day. He warned this could
lapse of Iran's nuclear deal deal a "fatal blow" to the tat-
with world powers. U.S. petrochemical industries, the "Caracas and Tehran have decided not to invite him to tered nuclear deal as Tehran
sanctions and rising global military and the economy. shaped the strategy of (a) the Summit of the Americas, enriches uranium closer than
food prices are choking Iran's Iranian English-language resistance economy and are which began Thursday. His ever to weapons-grade levels.
ailing economy, putting fur- PressTV quoted Maduro be- working to expand it," he stops earlier this week in- That development came a
ther pressure on its govern- fore the news conference as said. cluded Algeria and Turkey. day after the International
ment and its people. saying the two men would On his website, Khamenei Turkey is one of a handful of Atomic Energy Agency's
A high-ranking political and meet to discuss "the need to said that the successful expe- places around the world — board of governors censured
economic delegation from well inform the Iranian and rience of the two countries Russia and Iran are among Tehran for failing to provide
Venezuela — which like Iran Venezuelan nations about showed that the only way to them — where Maduro is "credible information" over
is under heavy U.S. sanctions the war of sanctions and find face the United States' pres- welcome amid U.S. sanc- manufactured nuclear mate-
— is accompanying Maduro ways to counter them with sures and wars is "to resist." tions on his country. rial found at three undeclared
on his visit, following an in- steadfastness."Maduro said He thanked Maduro and the Venezuela, Cuba and Nica- sites in the country.
vitation from hard-line Presi- Venezuela and Iran are unit- people of Venezuela for their ragua were not invited to the Iran's currency dropped to
dent Ebrahim Raisi. ed by "a common vision" on resistance, saying that "today, summit by the Biden admin- its lowest value ever after the
In a joint press conference international issues and are the United States views Ven- istration due to their authori- censure — to 327,500 rials to
Saturday, Raisi and Maduro both victims of coercive mea- ezuela differently." tarianism and human rights the dollar.
signed a 20-year agreement sures by the United States Maduro is on a Eurasia tour violations. That decision led
to expand ties in the oil and and its allies. after President Joe Biden to Mexico's president an-

Lawmakers from Iraq's biggest bloc resign amid impasse

By QASSIM ABDUL- The 73 lawmakers from pow- Al-Sadr, a maverick leader enough lawmakers to parlia- obtains the second highest
ZAHRA erful Shiite cleric Muqtada remembered for leading an ment to get the two-thirds number votes in their elec-
Associated Press al-Sadr's bloc submitted their insurgency against U.S. forc- majority needed to elect toral district would replace
BAGHDAD (AP) — Doz- resignation based on his re- es after the 2003 invasion, Iraq's next president — a nec- them.
ens of lawmakers who make quest, to protest a persist- emerged as the winner in the essary step ahead of naming This would benefit al-Sadr's
up the biggest bloc in Iraq's ing political deadlock eight election held in October. the next prime minister and opponents from the so-called
parliament resigned on Sun- months after general elec- The election was held several selecting a Cabinet. Coordination Framework, a
day amid a prolonged po- tions were held. months earlier than expected, Speaker Halbousi tweeted coalition led by Iran-backed
litical impasse, plunging the Parliament Speaker Moham- in response to mass protests later that he "reluctantly" ac- Shiite parties, and their allies
divided nation into political med Halbousi accepted their that broke out in late 2019, cepted the resignations based - something al-Sadr would
uncertainty. resignation. and saw tens of thousands on al-Sadr's wishes and after be unlikely to accept.
rally against endemic corrup- sincere efforts to discourage There are already concerns
tion, poor services and un- him from this step. "For the that the stalemate and ten-
employment. sake of the country and the sion could boil over and lead
The vote brought victory people, he decided to pro- to street protests by support-
for powerful Shiite cleric ceed with this decision," he ers of al-Sadr, turning into
Muqtada al-Sadr who won posted. violence between them and
73 out of Parliament's 329 It was not immediately clear rival armed Shiite militias.
seats, and was a blow for his how the resignation of the Al-Sadr, one of Iraq's most
Iran-backed Shiite rivals, biggest bloc in parliament influential political leaders
who lost about two-thirds of would play out. A veteran with a large following, has
their seats and have rejected Iraqi politician expressed repeatedly alluded to the ca-
the results. concern that the resignations pabilities of his militia, Sa-
Al-Sadr has been intent on could lead to chaos in the raya Salam, which recently
forming, along with his al- country. opened the doors for recruits
lies, a majority government According to Iraqi laws, if any in Babylon and Diyala prov-
that excludes them. But he seat in parliament becomes inces.
has not been able to corral vacant, the candidate who