TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has once again denounced the United States’ military buildup in the Caribbean.

In a phone conversation with his Venezuelan counterpart Yván Gil Pinto, the top Iranian diplomat touched upon the growing danger posed to global peace and stability as by Washington’s “belligerent unilateralism.”

Araghchi further condemned unfounded accusations levelled against the Venezuelan government by the U.S. and Washington’s threat to use force against the country, reiterating Iran’s solidarity with Venezuela.

His remarks come amid a sharp increase in U.S. military deployments across the Caribbean, carried out under the pretext of “anti-drugs operations.”

Since late August, Washington has sent warships, surveillance aircraft, and special operations units to the southern Caribbean, culminating this month with the deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group. 

The U.S. has also launched dozens of strikes on vessels, killing more than 80 people, claiming they were drug traffickers, while failing to provide any evidence to back up the claims. Legal experts have condemned the U.S. military’s extrajudicial killing of victims as unlawful.

During the phone conversation, the Venezuelan foreign minister presented a report on the developments in the Caribbean following an escalation of Washington’s threats and illegal claims against his country.

He appreciated Iran’s solidarity with, and support for Venezuela, highlighting the Venezuelan government and people are determined to safeguard their national sovereignty and independence against the United States’ threats.

Days ago, Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said the civic-military alliance will resist the pressure exerted on the nation by the United States.

He pointed to the Venezuelan nation’s resolve to defend the independence and territorial integrity of the leftist Latin American state.

He also condemned Washington’s risky actions for creating a clear threat to regional stability, noting that the scale and configuration of U.S. assets “has nothing to do with combating drug trafficking.”

Instead, Padrino Lopez explained, the U.S. military buildup in the region reflects an effort to coerce the Venezuelan state under the guise of fighting drugs.

Addressing the Americans, he said that the people of Venezuela will not give in to U.S. pressure.

This comes as most U.S. citizens oppose a potential military invasion of Venezuela as part of the so-called fight against drug cartels, according to a poll conducted by CBS News among nearly 2,500 Americans.

The results showed that 70% of respondents opposed military action and 76% said that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration did not clearly explain its position to voters.

Meanwhile, 53% of respondents supported U.S. military attacks on boats suspected of drug trafficking, but 72% said that Washington should provide evidence that drugs were being transported on them.