Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro says his country and Iran are in the vanguard of the emerging global order, sharing a common goal of fighting colonialism and imperialism.

Maduro, who arrived in Tehran on Friday one day ahead of the announced schedule, made the remarks in an interview with Iran's state-run Spanish-language television channel Hispan TV.

He also announced that a 20-year cooperation plan with Iran will be signed between the two countries.

Describing Venezuela and Iran as the pioneers of shaping a world free of imperialism and dominant powers, Maduro said, “The era of the United States' military dominance of the world is over.”

He also urged sharing know-how with Iran in all fields, and hailed the Islamic Republic's “courageous move” to send fuel tankers to his energy-hungry nation despite US sanctions and threats.

He added that the delegation accompanying him to Tehran is aiming at facilitating further investments from Iran, noting that Iranians’ willingness to work in Venezuela indicates that resisting the US sanctions will eventually bear fruit.

Iran and Venezuela have been slapped with sanctions by the US, which doesn’t currently import oil from either nation, and has in recent years reimposed sanctions on Iranian state entities, including the national oil company NIOC, and in 2019 blacklisted PDVSA.

The two countries strengthened their cooperation in 2020, with Venezuela importing condensate from Iran, key to thinning its extra-thick crude oil. Iran has also stepped in to help its South American ally with engineers, refined products and spare parts for its oil industry.