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Chavez Celebrated in Tehran

That pillar of Islamic extremism and state-sponsored terrorism, the Islamic Republic of Iran, awarded visiting Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez its highest state medal on Sunday. Chavez received the award for supporting Tehran in its nuclear standoff with the international community, while Chavez urged the world to rise up and defeat the U.S. Venezuelan state television reports the leftist Venezuelan firebrand also condemned Israel - the same country that the people he received the award from have called openly for the destruction of - for what he called the "terrorism" and "madness" of its attacks in Lebanon.

After Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, presented Chavez with the "Islamic Republic Medal" in a ceremony at Tehran University, Chavez reportedly said, "Let`s save the human race, let`s finish off the U.S. empire. This task must be assumed with strength by the majority of the peoples of the world." Chavez has frequently charged that the United States aims to attack his country or kill him, a charge that Washington denies. This hasn`t stopped Chavez from cultivating relationships with Russia and Iran, two countries known to stand in opposition to American goals of spreading democracy.

As mentioned earlier, Iranian state-run television reported the award was to show Iran`s gratitude for his "support for Iran`s stance on the international scene, especially its opposition to a resolution by the International Atomic Energy Agency". President Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying, "He is the one who has resisted imperialism for years, and has defended the interests of his and other Latin American countries." Iran has begun investing heavily in Venezuela since Chavez first came to power.