Chavez, Ahmadinejad blast West

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CARACAS, Venezuela, June 23 (UPI) -- Iran's president said he had Venezuela's back as he wrapped up a visit to Latin America with a friendly meeting with President Hugo Chavez.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Chavez traded jabs at the United States Friday and assured one another they were not alone in facing pressure from Washington and other Western nations.

"The Iranian nation will always stay beside the Venezuelan nation and its courageous president," Ahmadinejad said.

"The tides of revolution which have stretched across Latin America will definitely continue very powerfully until all imperialism foundations are uprooted," Ahmadinejad added.

Press TV said Chavez assured his guest Iran had "all the support of the Venezuelan people, of the Venezuelan government" as it endured economic sanctions including an embargo on oil exports.

Iran's FARS news agency said Ahmadinejad predicted an inevitable waning of "imperialism" in Latin America.

Friday's visit was Ahmadinejad's second to Venezuela of the year and was the final stop of a trip to Latin America that included stops in Bolivia and Brazil, where he attended the United Nations RIO+20 summit.