TEHRAN – Venezuelan Foreign Minister Ivan Gil Pinto has, in a message, thanked Iran for giving a warning over the consequences of the U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean and for Tehran’s support for Venezuela’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

This week as well as in in mid-November, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei warned about the dangerous repercussions of U.S. military activities in the Caribbean and Latin America for international peace and security. Baqaei called for respecting Venezuela’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The spokesperson described the threat of using force against the legitimate and elected government of Venezuela as a clear violation of law and a gross breach of the principles of the United Nations Charter, particularly the principle of the right of nations to self-determination and the principle of the prohibition of the use of force outlined in Article 2(4).

Baqaei reminded the United Nations and its Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of their responsibility to prevent the violation of international peace and security and the promotion of aggressive unilateralism in the world.

In his message, the top Venezuelan diplomat reaffirmed the Iranian people’s solidarity with the Venezuelan people as well as Tehran’s outright demand for respecting his country’s sovereignty.

The comes amid escalating tensions between Washington and Caracas as the U.S. has increasingly signaled it could use military means to pressure Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from power.

U.S. President Donald Trump has not explicitly said he is trying to overthrow Maduro. However, it would not be the first time Trump or members of his cabinet have sought to see a change in leadership in Caracas.

The U.S. has deployed scores of military assets to the Caribbean and carried out deadly military strikes on at least five unknown boats. The Trump administration said they were drug vessels with ties to cartels and criminal organizations, but has provided no evidence for its claims. Analysts and activists have called the attacks a blatant violation of international law. 

Meanwhile, The U.S. administration has increased the bounty on Maduro to $50 million. Trump has also confirmed he has authorized the CIA to operate inside of Venezuela, but he said it was to counter drug smuggling.

The U.S. has also launched what appears to be the sixth lethal boat strike against an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean Sea this year.

“It appears the Trump administration decided to take heavy-handed measures against the Venezuelan government after its actions in Ukraine and West Asia. That was not the posture when Trump first took the oath for his second term — he even concluded a prisoner-swap agreement with Venezuela then,” said Ali Aboutalebi, a Latin America analyst, on a well-known Persian podcast about world affairs. “Many Americans believe a socialist system cannot exist near their borders, and Venezuela’s vast oil reserves are an additional lure that compels Washington to intervene in the country’s internal affairs.”