Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez on Sunday restated his support for Iran's nuclear program for peaceful purposes, warning the United States not to attack the Middle Eastern country.

Speaking on his Sunday radio and television program "Alo Presidente," Chavez said that the United States had been harassing Iran since 1979 and triggered the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s.

"Iranians were able to overcome all these threats and that is why the United States continues to harass them," Chavez said. He called for Washington to "respect international laws and also all the people of this planet and their sovereignty."

Chavez said if the United States were to make the mistake of invading Iran, it would "accelerate the process of its destruction."

Source: Xinhua