Appearing at a Saturday ceremony in Tehran, Ali Larijani, Speaker of the Parliament of Iran, accused Washington of eyeing petroleum in oil-rich states, such as Venezuela, thus, deliberately triggering chaos there.
“The war they launched in Libya is aimed at [seizing] land and oil. That is why they triggered chaos in Libya’s political landscape. The same goes for Venezuela. Saudi Arabia’s oil is in the United States’ hands, but a few oil-rich regions, including Venezuela, are not under the United States’ control, that is why the US has created problems for them and has created unrest in that country,” he claimed.
Larijani’s remarks come against the backdrop of Iran’s condemnation of recent US attempts to stage a coup against President Nicolas Maduro, who has found himself increasingly pressured by US-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido to step down.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Seyyed Abbas Mousavi warned Washington against any type of meddling in Venezuela, after Caracas announced that it had foiled an attempt by a number of military defectors to overthrow Maduro.
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"The Islamic Republic condemns US attempts to stage a coup or any other type of military action in Venezuela," Mousavi said on Thursday night.
In his appearance, Larijani also touched upon Washington’s sanctions on Iran, saying the US had made plans to seize Iraqi oil, but failed because of the Iraqi people.
“By imposing sanctions, the US puts pressure on Iran and puts forward issues such as human rights as well as missile and atomic issues, but the main reason [behind the sanctions] is something else,” he said.
The speaker claimed the US was waging psychological warfare, in the knowledge that when Iran’s oil is not sold, the country faces problems.
Larijani claimed Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates lack potential to increase their oil sales, otherwise, they already would have.