US vows to closely watch Venezuela-Iran aerial drone project

The United States will closely monitor joint projects between Venezuela and Iran to build aerial drones, said Thursday US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland describing such possibility as "extravagant."

"The Venezuelans make lots of extravagant claims. So do the Iranians," Nuland said at a news conference.

"Our concern, obviously, would be with any breaking of international sanctions on Iran. And we will be most vigilant in watching how this goes forward," she added.

President Hugo Chavez said Wednesday in an exhibition of the first Venezuelan drone, that his country intends to build a drone factory in collaboration with Iran, among others, reported AFP.

It is "one of the three aircraft that we have manufactured here, and we will continue to manufacture (...) aircraft not only for military use, as many of these aircraft are for civilian use," Chávez said.

The plane was assembled with parts manufactured in Venezuela and built by military engineers who were trained in Iran, Venezuelan sources explained.

Venezuela is Iran's main ally in Latin America, and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has repeatedly visited Caracas.