Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has kicked off a four-nation tour aimed at forging closer ties with Latin American countries, a move that has raised eyebrows in the United States which sees the region as its "backyard."

In this image provided by the Venezuelan Presidency Office, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez greets his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the Miraflores Palace in the city of Caracas, capital of Venezuela, on Jan. 9, 2012. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited Venezuela on Monday, kicking off his Latin American tour which also includes Nicaragua, Cuba and Ecuador. [Xinhua]

In a speech at a welcome ceremony on Monday, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said his government was "full of joy" for the Iranian president's visit and that his meeting with Ahmadinejad was to keep "fighting misery, hunger and underdevelopment."

Ahmadinejad, for his part, said his visit was not to attack another country. "We love all the people, including the people of the United States," he said.

The two leaders will also discuss bilateral cooperation in areas of agriculture, industry, commerce, and energy, and will renew some cooperation agreements.

Declaring their countries were "no warriors," the two criticized the U.S. government for being "arrogant."

Prior to his departure for Venezuela, Ahmadinejad said his country gives high priority to expanding its "cordial" relationships with Latin American states.

After Venezuela, Ahmadinejad will head to Nicaragua for the inauguration of its re-elected leader Daniel Ortega. Stops in Cuba and Ecuador will round off the tour.

In response to Ahmadinejad's Latin American trip, the Obama administration said the tour was a sign of desperation as sanctions increasingly isolate his country, and warned the host nations against expanding ties with Iran.

The U.S. State Department has dismissed Ahmadinejad's visits to Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba and Ecuador as Iran "flailing" for new friends as the sanctions bite.

On Monday, the State Department called on the Latin American states being toured by Ahmadinejad to try their best to persuade the Islamic republic to change the course over its controversial nuclear program.

Department Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Iran has "obviously carefully" chosen Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba and Ecuador for its president to make a tour.

"We are, meanwhile, calling on all of these countries to do what they can to impress upon the Iranian regime that the course that it's on in its nuclear dialogue with the international community is the wrong one," she told reporters at a regular press briefing.

The State Department made the call a day after it declared Venezuela's consul general in Miami persona non grata and asked her to leave by Tuesday.

The department said the move against Livia Acosta Noguera, which coincided with the Iranian president's planned visit to her home country, was taken in accordance with Article 23 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.