MEXICO CITY (AP) — In his first visit to Latin America, Iran’s hardline president met Tuesday with his Nicaraguan counterpart and railed against a theme both leaders have in common: U.S. sanctions.

President Ebrahim Raisi’s visit to Nicaragua is his second stop, after Venezuela. He is also scheduled to visit Cuba, Iran's other ally in the region.

Raisi spoke at a joint appearance in Managua with Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega.

“The United States wanted to paralyze our people with threats and sanctions, but it hasn’t been able to do it,” Raisi said.

Many top figures in Ortega's government also face U.S. sanctions for crushing dissent and imprisoning or exiling opponents.

On Monday , Raisi visited President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela, which is also under U.S. economic sanctions.

His tour of allied nations in Latin America comes amid rising tensions with the administration of President Joe Biden.

The U.S. has accused Iran of providing Russia with materials to build a drone manufacturing plant east of Moscow, while the Kremlin seeks to ensure a steady supply of weapons for its invasion of Ukraine. U.S. intelligence officials believe the plant in Russia could start operations early next year, but Iran has said it supplied drones to Russia before the start of the war.