Iranian foreign minister starts Latin American tour in Cuba

HAVANA – Iran’s foreign minister has begun a Latin American tour in Cuba, saying the two countries are united by histories of resisting what he called U.S. atrocities.

Mohammad Javad Zarif said Monday that Iran “has always shown that we can win through resistance.”

He said Cuba’s communist-run government had similarly endured in the face of the half-century-old U.S. trade embargo.

Zarif also plans to visit Nicaragua, Ecuador, Chile, Bolivia and Venezuela. The Iranian government says it is trying to firm up ties with Latin America in the face of what it calls plots by Israel to undermine relations. Zarif did not mention Cuba’s reestablishment of diplomatic relations with the U.S.