News - World: Iran strongly condemns the United States claim of closing Venezuela’s airspace, calling it a “blatant breach” of international law and the principles governing civil aviation.

In a statement on Saturday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei underscored that Washington’s so-called declaration was part of a long pattern of hostile actions against Venezuela’s sovereignty, describing the move as arbitrary, reckless, and devoid of legal legitimacy.

He warned that such self-described directives from the White House represented an unprecedented threat to international flight safety, potentially destabilizing global aviation norms and endangering peace and security far beyond South America.

The statement echoed concerns raised across diplomatic and aviation circles, as experts noted that no country had the authority to unilaterally close another one’s airspace under global civil aviation law.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump used his social media platform, Truth Social, to issue an informal warning, claiming that airlines and pilots were to treat Venezuela’s airspace as “entirely closed.”

Venezuela dismissed the warnings as politically motivated and aimed at isolating the country rather than ensuring safety.

It swiftly revoked the licenses of six international airlines that had suspended operations, denouncing them for aligning with US pressure and contributing to “state terrorism.”

Last week too, Venezuela’s civil aviation authority had openly condemned foreign carriers for siding with US-backed destabilization attempts and bowing to “unilateral terror directives” instead of complying with international law.

The US Navy has, meanwhile, intensified operations in Latin American waters.

Washington has deployed the notorious USS Harry S. Truman strike group to the Atlantic in previous months amid rising attempts to militarize Washington’s anti-narcotics claims.

Since September, Washington has conducted lethal maritime strikes under the pretext of countering narcotics, killing more than 80 people in Central and South American waters.

Baghaei emphasized that international aviation safety could not be subordinated to geopolitics or used as leverage, adding that such moves only amplified Venezuela’s moral authority in defending legal order, peace, and stability.

Source: Press TV