Iran awarded Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Sunday the country's highest medal of honor for his support for Iran's nuclear program, the official IRNA new agency reported.

"The medal was given to President Chavez for his support for Iran's stance on its nuclear case at international circles, especially Venezuela's vote against an anti-Iranian resolution adopted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)," the IRNA said.

Venezuela opposed an IAEA decision to report Iran's nuclear case to the UN Security Council in February.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad awarded the medal to Chavez in Tehran University.

"He is the one who has stood against imperialism for years and has defended the interests of his and other Latin American countries," Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying by the state television.

Chavez arrived in Tehran on Saturday for his fifth visit to the Islamic republic since he came to power in 1999.

During his talk with Ahmadinejad on Saturday, Chavez said he was pleased with the current economic cooperation between Venezuela and Iran.

"We can defeat imperialism only when we are united, and we will be defeated if we are separated. And this is something proved in history," said Chavez.

The Venezuelan president also met with Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei later Saturday.

Source: Xinhua