Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicholas Maduro is expected to arrive in Tehran on Monday.

The Venezuelan ambassador to Iran, David N. Velasquez, said that Maduro is making the visit to work on the details of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's upcoming visit to Venezuela.

"The Venezuelan minister of industries and sciences and an oil delegation will accompany Foreign Minister Maduro to Tehran," Velasquez said.

In an exclusive interview, the Venezuelan ambassador told IRNA that Iran and Venezuela are both the targets of global hegemony, which means that both countries need to expand their cooperation.

"History provides good evidence that the US has always pursued sinister goals across the globe, especially in Latin America and the Asian continent, and that is why they are now masterminding various plots in Venezuela, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Iran," Velasquez said.

He pointed out that Iran and Venezuela have signed 280 memoranda of understanding.

"Some 80 of the total 280 have already been implemented," he added.

HSH/HGL