Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf on Tuesday called for Iran and Cuba to bolster their relations during his official visit to the communist-ruled nation, stressing that both nations have “common goals, allies, and enemies.”
Qalibaf arrived in Havana on Monday evening as part of a three-country tour that saw him first visit Caracas this week, where he held meetings with officials of the socialist Maduro regime, aiming to bolster the economic ties between both allied regimes. Qalibaf is expected to travel to Brazil to participate in the 11th Parliamentary Forum of the BRICS anti-U.S. bloc, which will be held in the capital city of Brasília between June 4-5.
Speaking shortly after his arrival, Qalibaf stressed the need to bolster Cuba-Iran relations as both countries have “common goals, allies, and enemies.” The Iranian speaker further urged the use of the two countries’ experiences to “make pressures and sanctions of arrogant powers less susceptible.”
“Iran has been under the most severe sanctions, but the Iranian people resisted those pressures to preserve the independence of their country,” Qalibaf said.
During his stay in Cuba, Qalibaf met with the Castro regime’s figurehead “President” Miguel Díaz-Canel, who expressed “great satisfaction” with his visit, which he claimed, “strengthens our historic relations and demonstrates the importance that the two governments attach to bilateral ties, both in the political and economic-commercial spheres.” Díaz-Canel further claimed that the presence of Qalibaf and his delegation in Cuba is an “expression of the unity that should exist between the two nations and peoples, when both are subjected to coercive measures by U.S. imperialism.”
Díaz-Canel also thanked Iran for its support of Cuba against the United States’ “embargo” and for its continued calls to have Cuba removed from the United States’ list of state sponsors of terrorism (SST). Iran and Cuba form half of the SST list, alongside North Korea and Syria.
The figurehead “president,” speaking on behalf of Cuba’s nonagenarian communist dictator Raúl Castro, extended an invitation to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to visit Cuba “when his schedule permits.” Pezeshkian’s predecessor, late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, visited Cuba in June 2023 alongside Venezuela and Nicaragua.
Díaz-Canel reportedly condemned the “intensified interference” of the United States in Iran’s internal affairs and expressed support for Iran’s illicit nuclear ambitions. According to the Cuban presidency, Qalibaf said he felt very honored to be in the “friendly country,” which has “many points in common that strengthen our ties.”
The Iranian Speaker stressed that Iran’s policy is to develop relations with countries that have confronted the United States and said that “global arrogance seeks to pressure independent countries by imposing sanctions and cognitive actions in the media to divert public opinion.”
“The Americans support the crimes of the Zionist regime, and we, the countries that have been oppressed by the U.S., must stand united,” Qalibaf said.
Díaz-Canel, referring to Raisi’s visit to Cuba in 2023 and Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz’s visit to Iran in 2024, said that visits of that nature can strengthen relations between the two countries.
“Given that both countries are under sanctions by imperialism, these meetings are extremely important and necessary,” Díaz-Canel said.
Qalibaf’s agenda in Cuba also included meetings with his Cuban counterpart Esteban Lazo and Cuban deputy speaker Homero Acosta Alvarez, as well as a wreath-laying ceremony in honor of Cuban founding father José Martí.
Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.
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