(MENAFN) Iran's Foreign Ministry has issued a stark warning that escalating American military operations across the Caribbean and Latin American regions pose grave dangers to worldwide peace and security.

Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry, delivered the cautionary message Saturday, demanding the international community uphold Venezuela's sovereign rights and territorial boundaries. His statement arrived just 48 hours following U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's announcement of a Western Hemisphere initiative dubbed "Southern Spear," characterized as an anti-narcotics mission.

According to Baghaei, Washington's threats to deploy military force against Venezuela's legitimate administration constitute "conspicuous law-breaking" and represent clear breaches of the UN Charter.

The Iranian diplomat referenced "numerous reports" from international watchdog organizations that classify U.S. assaults on fishing vessels operating in Caribbean and Eastern Pacific waters as "arbitrary and extrajudicial killings." He accused the American government of weaponizing drug trafficking concerns as justification to violate Venezuelan sovereignty.

Baghaei further appealed to the United Nations to intervene against measures that could destabilize global peace and promote "belligerent unilateralism."

Washington has positioned multiple naval warships off Venezuela's northern coast, claiming the deployment targets alleged "narco-terrorists" with purported connections to Caracas' government.

American forces have conducted 20 strikes against fishing boats in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean since September, resulting in 80 fatalities.

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