Ecuador's President Rafael Correa has highlighted growing relations with Iran, saying no country can undermine friendly relations between the two nations, Press TV reported.
Correa stressed in a telephone conversation with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that Iran and Ecuador enjoyed strong ties, Fars news agency reported on Thursday.
He noted that certain countries were seeking to damage Iran-Ecuador relations but emphasized that his country was determined to deepen its ties with the Islamic Republic.
Ecuador would not allow any country to interfere in its foreign relations, Correa noted.
President Ahmadinejad also welcomed growing ties with the Latin American nation.
"Iran and Ecuador enjoy deep, brotherly relations," President Ahmadinejad said, adding that no one could sever bonds of friendship between the two countries.
Iran has been pushing for the expansion of its ties with Latin American countries in recent years, describing the effort as a major foreign policy strategy.
Iran's soaring popularity in Latin America has raised concerns in the United States, which remains actively engaged in a tireless global campaign to isolate Tehran over its nuclear program. Washington considers Latin America as its "strategic backyard."