Iran's president visits Venezuela

CARACAS, Venezuela, Sept. 18 (UPI) -- Iran's president praised his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez calling him "my brother" during his visit to Caracas, El Universal reported Monday.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also referred to the leftist Chavez as a "champion" against global imperialism, a not-so-subtle reference to the United States.

Last week, Chavez, an ardent critic of the Bush administration, pledged to Ahmadinejad during the Non-Aligned Movement Summit in Havana that oil-rich Venezuela would defend Iran from potential attack from the United States.