Fars news agency had reported that Chavez was to meet new Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi, who was accused by the Argentine judiciary of involvement in a 1994 bombing that killed 85 people at a Jewish community centre in Argentina.

It was not clear whether the meeting was held.

Before leaving for Mashad, Chavez met in Tehran with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who said that Iran and Venezuela should spare no effort to bolster the newly established 'independence front'.

According to official news agency IRNA, Khamenei said that consecutive defeats of the US indicated that the world was undergoing an undeniable change and therefore called on efforts to strengthen the resistance front.

Chavez arrived Saturday in Tehran and discussed with Ahmadinejad continuation of a 10-year bilateral plan aimed at tackling the global economic crisis.

Ahmadinejad and Chavez, who both are avid critics of the US, have several times called for a new world order and reform of the United Nations Security Council.

Chavez was one of the first foreign heads of state to congratulate Ahmadinejad on his June 12 re-election, which was disputed over allegations of fraud.

It was the seventh visit to Iran by Chavez, who has several times described the Islamic republic as his 'second home'.

Iran and Venezuela have already signed 186 agreements in the last four years, and bilateral trade has reportedly reached an estimated $4.6 billion.

But some Iranian legislators have noted that Latin America's role is not very significant, and say the economic agreements and trade with countries like Venezuela have minimal impact on Iran's economy.