TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Seyyed Abbas Mousavi on Sunday denounced the U.S. Secretary of State’s claim that Iran is interfering in the internal affairs of Venezuela, describing it as “ridiculous”.

Pompeo spoke during a stop in Paraguay on a trip that Washington has said will focus on developments in Venezuela. During his trip, Pompeo has been trying to build up support for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s ouster.

Mousavi said the U.S. under Trump seeks to turn Latin America into its backyard, just like the 19th century.

However, he added, nations of the world, especially the people of Latin America, have awakened and the wheel of time does not move backwards.

“While Iranian specialists are trying to improve the water and electricity systems in Venezuela at the request of the government of Caracas, America has looted $30 billion worth of Venezuela’s foreign-exchange reserves,” Mousavi noted.

“While Iranian specialists are trying to improve the water and electricity systems in Venezuela at the request of the government of Caracas, America has looted $30 billion worth of Venezuela’s foreign-exchange reserves,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Mousavi states.

He lashed out at the U.S. government for targeting the Venezuelan nation with its economic terrorism, asking them to either riot against their legitimate government or face starvation.

“America’s move is a blatant and arrogant interference in Venezuela’s internal affairs, and is strongly condemned,” Mousavi added.

Washington has been pressuring Maduro to step down and urging more countries to join the coalition supporting Venezuela’s opposition figure Juan Guaido who declared himself “interim president” in January.

The Trump administration has imposed a raft of sanctions against Maduro’s government and even threatened to use military force in an attempt to remove him from power.

U.S.-imposed sanctions have hurt the Venezuelan economy as well as ordinary people, who are already suffering from hyperinflation and food and medicine shortages, triggering mass migration to neighboring countries, such as Peru and Colombia.

SP/PA