The Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, says his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has plans to visit Iran in future.

President Ahmadinejad made the remarks after returning home from a five-day tour which took him to five African and South American countries including Brazil.

Describing the whole tour as successful, the Iranian President added that “We had great talks with Brazilian officials. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is scheduled to visit Iran.”

“The development of ties between Iran and Brazil will influence our relations with Latin America,” he explained.

The Iranian chief executive began his tour of Gambia, Brazil, Bolivia, Venezuela and Senegal on Sunday, just days after Israeli president Shimon Peres completed a tour to Latin America aimed at rallying support against Tehran.

However, the Israeli president’s visit to Brazil and Argentina, home to the largest Jewish communities, led to angry demonstrations against the trip in both Latin American countries.

Iran’s close ties with Latin America and particularly Brazil are a cause of major concern both to Israel and its staunch ally, the US.

Ahmadinejad’s visit to Latin American and African countries comes also as Washington moves to prepare a new slate of sanctions against Iran over the country’s nuclear issue.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has thrown his weight behind Iran’s efforts to develop a nuclear program aimed at peaceful purposes in September’s UN gathering in New York.

During his stay in Brazil, Peres also met with the Brazilian Defense Minister Nelson Jobim who is considered to be one of the strongest men in the Brazilian government.

However, the Israeli leader’s efforts to overshadow Ahmadinejad’s upcoming visit seemed to be in vain as Jobim later asserted that Brazilian authorities would hold talks with whomever they pleased.

Jobim said that no one had the right to dictate to Brazil who to talk to or not, pointing out that the decision was entirely up to the Brazilian government.

Ahmadinejad was greeted by First Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi, foreign policy adviser to Iran’s Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, Ali-Akbar Velayati, and several ministers and members of Parliament upon his arrival in Tehran on Friday morning.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has ended his tour of Latin American countries, leaving Venezuela for Senegal in western Africa.

At the end of his South American tour, Ahmadinejad reiterated that Iran and Venezuela would remain united against US “imperialism”.

“Today the people of Venezuela and Iran, friends and brothers in the trench warfare against imperialism, are resisting,” he said, adding they will “stand together until the end”.

Iran and Venezuela signed twelve cooperation agreements in housing, agriculture, fisheries, transportation, energy, environment, tourism and education.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez saw his Iranian counterpart off on Wednesday.

Ahmadinejad began on Sunday a tour of African and South American countries, which took him first to the western African country of Gambia and then to Brazil, Bolivia and Venezuela in South America.

He arrived in Brasilia on Monday with the goal of strengthening ties, which resulted in the signing of eight agreements between the two countries.

During his visit, President Ahmadinejad also garnered Brazil’s support for Iran’s nuclear program.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva backed Iran’s “use of peaceful nuclear energy, in full respect of international accords” and called for a “just solution” to the nuclear dispute.

The next leg of the tour took President Ahmadinejad to Bolivia, where two memoranda of understanding were signed by the two countries.

Senegal will be the last leg of President Ahmadinejad’s Africa-Latin America tour.

Iran and Brazil signed eight cooperation deals in Brasilia on Monday after talks between Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

On the second leg of his five-nation tour of South America and Africa, Ahmadinejad arrived in Brazil on Monday with the goal of strengthening ties between the two countries.

The new deals will pave the way for Iran and Brazil to enhance their cooperation in the areas of commerce, energy, and agricultural research and to lift the visa regime between the two countries.

After Ahmadinejad’s arrival, the Brazilian president expressed support for Iran’s right to access peaceful nuclear energy and called for a “just solution” to be found in the dispute between Iran and the West over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.

Lula stated that Brazil backed Iran’s plans to make use of “peaceful nuclear energy, in full respect of international accords.”

He also advised Iran to “continue contacts with interested countries to find a just solution to the nuclear issue.”

Brazil has repeatedly voiced its support for Iran’s nuclear program and has always opposed calls to impose sanctions on the country.

Ahmadinejad was in Gambia on Sunday.

After his one-day visit to Brazil, the Iranian president will travel to Venezuela, Bolivia, and Senegal.

Iran’s President is scheduled to begin his tour to five countries in Africa and South America on Sunday days after the Israeli president ended a tour aimed at rallying support against Tehran.

“Iranian President (Mahmoud Ahmadinejad) will visit Brazil, Bolivia, Venezuela, Senegal and Gambia,” IRINN reported on Sunday.

“Ahmadinejad is slated to visit Gambia in the first leg of his five-day trip,” it added.

He will then visit Brazil on the second day. Bolivia, Venezuela and Senegal will be the next targets.

Ahmadinejad’s tour is aimed at boosting political and economic ties with the five African and South American countries.

Israeli President Shimon Peres’s week-long visit to Brazil and Argentina, the first trip to the countries after 40 and 20 years respectively, comes amid Iran’s amicable relationship with Latin American countries.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has thrown his weight behind Iran’s efforts to develop a nuclear program aimed at peaceful purposes in September’s UN gathering in New York.

Iran’s close ties with Latin America and particularly Brazil, the fifth largest country, has been a cause of major concern both for Israel and its staunch ally, the US.

A day after Iran’s ambassador to Brazil announced that Ahmadinejad and a large entourage of 110 representatives from 65 companies were to visit Brasilia early May 2009, US Secretary of State dubbed the development as “quite disturbing.”

Blaming US President Barack Obama’s predecessor for “Iran gains” in the region, the top US diplomat noted “I don’t think in today’s world, where it’s a multi-polar world, where we are competing for attention and relationships with the Russians, the Chinese, the Iranians, that it’s in our interest to turn our backs on our own hemisphere.”

The Israeli president’s visit to the two Latin American countries, home to the largest Jewish community in the region, also led to angry demonstrations against the trip.

Demonstrators denounced Tel Aviv’s deadly offensive against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip which killed more than 1400 people, a large number of them women and children.

In Argentina, protestors carried placards which read “Get out of Argentina, murderer Shimon Peres”, “Death to Zionist-fascist Israel, officer of American imperialism in the Middle East, murderers of the Palestinian people!”.

In Sao Paulo, Brazil, the Israeli President had been hailed as “Shimon Hitler”, during protests. Demonstrators carried placards showing Peres, sporting a short Hitlerian mustache standing next to an Israeli flag upon which a swastika had been drawn.

The Iranian minister of industry and mines says his country plans to set up a tractor production plant in Senegal in the near future.

Ali-Akbar Mehrabian says Iran is ready to ‘develop the agriculture industry’ in this western African country.

Mehrabian made the remarks in a meeting with Senegalese Foreign Minister Madicke’ Niang in Tehran.

He announced that the second phase of an automobile manufacturing plant would go into operation in Senegal to manufacture Iranian cars.

Iran’s giant automobile manufacturer, Iran Khodro, built the first phase of its factory in Senegal last year to export its cars to a number of western African countries.

Niang also noted that if the car manufacturing plant is expanded, its output could meet the demands of the Senegalese market as well as those of other African countries.

Based on agreements reached between the two Muslim states, Iran will provide Senegal with locomotives, boxcars, a subway, agricultural machines, cement factories, a refinery and electronic components.

Iran also has agreed to conduct geological and mineral prospecting surveys as well as offer training in various fields in the African state.

The West approach towards Iran has changed because of Iran’s correct stances, said Senegalese President, Abdoulaye Wade.

In a meeting with Iran’s Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki in Tehran Saturday, Wade said, “in this era we see the alteration of the West approach towards Iran that shows Iran’s correct stances.”

Also expressing satisfaction over the trend of ties between Iran and Senegal, he asserted bilateral cooperation could be broaden to a higher level.

Mottaki for his part stated that Senegal has a very special position in west of Africa and Iran is resolute to expand ties with the country.

Referring to Palestine issue, Mottaki noted the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) has made appropriate measures during the presidency of Senegal but Qods Committee has not made a move despite repeated crimes of Zionist regime.

Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade is scheduled to travel to Iran to meet with his Iranian counterpart and discusses Palestinian issues including holy Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The Senegalese chief executive is slated to arrive in the Iranian capital Tehran on Saturday morning and will be welcomed by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the presidential complex, Mehr news agency reported.

This is the Senegalese President’s fourth visit to Iran in the past three years. Ahmadinejad has also visited the capital of Senegal, Dakar, twice during this time.

According to the agency, the two presidents are expected to discuss the current situation in Palestine and the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem (Al-Quds).

Tensions have been high between Palestinians and Israelis after a group of Jewish radicals broke into the yard of Al-Aqsa Mosque an attacked Palestinians . About 16 Palestinians were injured in the clashes, according to media reports.

The incident triggered demonstrations in Palestinian territories and Muslim countries including Iran and Turkey.

Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh has called on Islamic nations to support Al-Aqsa Mosque in Al-Quds.

“Islamic nations should fulfill their moral and religious duties to support Al-Aqsa Mosque,” Haniyeh said, adding ” The real Al-Aqsa Mosque fight has started and Arab and Islamic nations should feel responsible for what’s going on.”

Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, expressed disapproval over the incursion by Israeli extremists. He called upon the international community to exert pressure on Israel and force it to halt such flagrant violations.