Iran willing to start direct flights between Shiraz, Venezuelan cities

Iranian officials announced on Monday that they want to launch direct flights from the Southern city of Shiraz to a destination in Venezuela. \"We are ready to launch direct flights between Shiraz and one of the Venezuelan cities,\" Shiraz Deputy Mayor for Cultural and Social Affairs Mohammad Farrokhzadeh said in a meeting with Venezuelan Ambassador to Iran Amenhotep Zambrano in Shiraz  on Monday. \"We also suggest to declare Shiraz and Caracas - which is a cultural city of yours - as sister cities to further consolidate the relations (between the two countries),\" he added. Iran has in recent years expanded friendly ties with Latin America, specially in economic, trade and industrial fields. Since taking office in 2005, former President Ahmadinejad has expanded Iran\'s cooperation with many Latin American states, including Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador and Cuba. Iran\'s strong and rapidly growing ties with Latin America, specially with Venezuela, have raised eyebrows in the US and its western allies since Tehran and Latin nations have forged an alliance against the imperialist and colonialist powers and are striving hard to reinvigorate their relations with the other independent countries which pursue a line of policy independent from the US.