Tehran [Iran], June 26 : Foreign Minister of Iran Seyed Abbas Araghchi expressed solidarity with Venezuelans in the wake of two earthquakes that struck Venezuela in quick succession on Wednesday.
Araghchi said that Iran is ready to offer full assistance.
In a post on X, he said, "Deeply saddened by the earthquake in Venezuela. We extend our condolences to the Government and People of Venezuela, especially families of the victims, and wish a swift recovery to the injured. I.R.Iran stands in solidarity with Venezuelans and is ready to offer full assistance."
https://x.com/araghchi/status/2070154873824260145?s=20
Iranian Embassy in South Africa said in a post on X, "We extend our heartfelt condolences to the Government and people of Venezuela, as well as to our colleagues at the Embassy of Venezuela in South Africa. We pray to Almighty God to grant the injured and those affected by this tragic incident a swift recovery and full restoration of health."
https://x.com/IraninSA/status/2070183975876751832?s=20
Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell announced on Thursday that the Department of War stands ready to support the Government of Venezuela.
In a post on X, he said, "The Department of War stands ready to support the Government of Venezuela and the U.S. Department of State as it leads the U.S. Government's response to yesterday's devastating earthquakes. Our forces are prepared to move quickly, bringing the unmatched airlift, logistics, and operational capabilities of the U.S. military to help save lives and support the Government of Venezuela during this crisis."
https://x.com/SeanParnellASW/status/2070176949771596201?s=20
President of Chile Jose Antonio Kast Rist said he is managing the urgent sending of humanitarian aid and the deployment of rescue teams to address the earthquake emergency.
In a post on X, he said, "I just spoke by phone with the Acting President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez, to convey to her Chile's solidarity in the difficult times facing the Venezuelan people. We are managing the urgent sending of humanitarian aid and the deployment of rescue teams to address the earthquake emergency."
https://x.com/PresidenteKast/status/2070131151734206701?s=20
https://x.com/koninklijkhuis/status/2070109312689623141?s=20
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel, Gideon Sa'ar, expressed condolences to the people of Venezuela for the devastating earthquakes that have affected the country.
In a post on X, he said, "The State of Israel expresses its deepest condolences to the people of Venezuela for the devastating earthquakes that have affected the country. Our hearts are with the families who have lost their loved ones and all those who were impacted by the tragedy. Israel is evaluating the possibilities to provide aid to the Venezuelan people during these difficult times."
https://x.com/gidonsaar/status/2070224293670289442?s=20
https://x.com/MariaCorinaYA/status/2070212542673068250?s=20
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Palestine wished health and safety to the friendly Venezuelan people in the face of the ordeal.
https://x.com/pmofa/status/2070179687679054269?s=20
President of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen said they are coordinating the European response to the earthquake via their Civil Protection Mechanism.
https://x.com/vonderleyen/status/2070185239956144138?s=20
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier that several other countries are chipping in aid for Venezuela.
"Other countries are responding as well. The Qataris have already offered assistance as we spoke to them earlier today as well. El Salvador has stepped up, and multiple countries around the region including Chile and others have reached out to us to communicate and get that happening. As we move forward with that response, with the sort of the short-term phase of response recovery, the second phase of course will be identifying the more long-term and acute needs," he said.
Rubio said further that after the initial assessment, they will be able to know what further aid Venezuela would need.
"We'll have a better assessment of that after the next 48 hours when we're on the ground and as the Venezuelan authorities get more visibility as to the level of damage in terms of housing. Where do you put all these people who don't have anywhere to go live? What we can do to help restore or help them restore their communications, their internet, their telecom, and so forth. We'll also have to manage what we expect is going to be a surge of private donation," he said.
He said further that several charities from the US are helping fund the assistance in Venezuela.
"I can imagine that there's going to be a lot of people from the United States and entities in the United States. We've already been in touch with some of the leading charities, but I know at the local level, particularly in places like where I call home in South Florida, there'll be a lot of people that are going to want to step forward and help and provide assistance. And we just need to find the way that we can step in and provide logistical support from that," he said.
Rubio explained that as the airport in Caracas is destroyed and runway is broken, they would need the equipment of the Department of War's logistics to visit there.
"In addition, of course, we've already stood up our disaster response teams at the Department of State and our humanitarian efforts. It's something we did very well in Jamaica after that storm, and it's something we're really prepared to do now. So I've already spoken to Secretary Hegseth. The Department of War is going to have to play a big logistical role here because they have the ability to land in challenging places. Right now the airport in Caracas is damaged. One of the runways is cracked. And so, but the Department of War has the capability to land in situations like that, so we'll need that. So we have a whole-of-government response. It'll be big, it'll be fast, and it'll be effective," he said.
"And of course, obviously, we're in touch through our embassy on the ground where I believe we have almost full accountability of all of our personnel there and of course Americans are safe. The last point is we know there are American citizens that are inside of Venezuela now. So we've also gone through the normal processes that we set up for them to be able to communicate with us in case they need assistance or help," he added.
US President Donald Trump, while speaking at Rose Garden Club Dinner with American Farmers said, "We took over Venezuela in less than one day. And the oil is flowing and we're getting along with them great. We're going to by the way help them, they had a tremendous earthquake last night that you read about massive it was like a massive in Caracas. But we're going to help them out."
Two earthquakes have struck Venezuela in quick succession on Wednesday, causing catastrophic damage to cities from La Guaira to the capital Caracas. As of Thursday, at least 188 deaths have been recorded, and thousands more have been reported injured, Al Jazeera reported.