Raul Castro meets Iranian President

Cuban President Raul Castro held talks here Wednesday with Ali Saeidlo, special envoy of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, an official release said. Both leaders talked about the excellent state of bilateral relations and the willingness to work for closer trade and economic ties between the two nations, a source said, adding that the two leaders also discussed other issues of international interest, without giving further details. Saeidlo arrived in Havana on Monday. He said that his visit was aimed at strengthening economic ties between the two countries. On Tuesday, Saeidlo met with Cuban Vice President Ricardo Cabrisas, and they highlighted the interest of their governments to promote economic and trade joint projects. Havana and Teheran established diplomatic relations for the first time in 1975, but the relations were severed a year later and resumed after Iran's Islamic Revolution in 1979. Cuba supports Iran's right to develop a peaceful nuclear program, while Teheran condemns the U.S. economic and trade embargo held for over half a century against the Caribbean island.