Iran Welcomes Thaw in US-Cuba Relations
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Saturday hailed Cuba for withstanding the US economic embargo for more than 50 years, and praised the recent rapprochement between Havana and Washington as “useful” for the international developments.
“The resistance shown by the Cuban nation and statesmen and their insistence on their revolution’s principles and causes over the past 50 years revealed that imposition of isolation and sanctions policies by the hegemonic powers is useless and futile vis-à-vis the independent nations and governments’ resolve and resistance,” Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham said.
“The recent upheaval in the relations between the two countries (Cuba and the US) is deemed a step forward in de-escalation in that region," she said, adding, "While the realistic continuation and completion of that approach could yield useful results in the interaction among the Latin American nations and the trend of the international developments."
On Wednesday, the US and Cuba agreed to restore diplomatic ties that Washington severed more than 50 years ago.
After months of talks, US President Barack Obama and Cuba’s President Raul Castro agreed in a phone call on Tuesday on a breakthrough prisoner exchange, the opening of embassies in each other's countries, and an easing of some restrictions on commerce.