Definition: In this task, you will be presented with a passage and have to answer a question based on your understanding of the events inferred from the passage. Try to find the best answer that is most likely to fill in "_". Note that the URLs in the text have been replaced with [Link].
Input: (CNN) -- At the funeral of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, his good friend, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was photographed embracing Chávez's bereaved mother, in a show of compassion and support. Back home in Tehran, Ahmadinejad was immediately bashed by newspapers and by conservative politicians who cited a religious prohibition against touching a woman who is not your wife or a relative. While theology is a factor, there may have been a deeper message to this backlash from Tehran: that it's no longer cool to be supporting Chávez, his family and political allies, and that this alliance, like others cultivated by Chávez, may be in jeopardy.Eduardo J. Gómez: Ahmadinejad criticized back home for hugging Chávez's motherHe says support in Iran may be waning for alliance with VenezuelaChavez bankrolled anti-U.S. alliance, but new leaders may not want to, he saysGómez: Nations in Latin America may see benefits of improved relations with U.S. 
 Question:Going forward, the United States should explore ways of strengthening its ties with _ and other Latin American nations.

Venezuelan