Iran Seeks Lifeline in Latin America
News of the assassination plot, which first broke in October, was a rude wake-up call about the danger posed by Iran’s growing hemispheric presence. The Iranians have a history of carrying out deadly terrorist massacres in Latin America — most notably, the 1992 and 1994 Buenos Aires bombings — and former Peruvian military chief of staff Gen. Francisco Contreras has said that Iranian organizations are now aiding other terror groups in South America. By expanding its terrorist presence in the Western Hemisphere, Iran is laying the groundwork for future attacks on U.S. and Israeli interests.
Given the regime’s bloodstained history, it would be foolish to dismiss this threat as “exaggerated.” According to Tehran-based Press TV, an Iranian state-run media outlet:
The promotion of all-out cooperation with Latin American countries is among the top priorities of the Islamic Republic’s foreign policy.
Beyond its outreach to Venezuela and other ALBA members, Iran has also dramatically boosted its trade relations with Argentina and Brazil. Indeed, the Argentine government is apparently so desperate for greater economic cooperation with Iran that it has secretly offered to suspend investigations of the Buenos Aires bombings in return for closer bilateral trade ties.
Brazil is a more complicated story. Under Lula da Silva, who served as Brazilian president from January 2003 to January 2011, the South American giant warmed to Iran and (along with Turkey) helped broker a controversial nuclear-fuel agreement that undermined U.S. diplomatic efforts at the United Nations. Last August, Brazilian Deputy Foreign Minister Maria Edileuza Fontenele described Iran as one of her country’s “most important partners.” Lately however, Lula’s successor President Dilma Rousseff has adopted a cooler, more cautious approach to the Iranians. It is telling that Ahmadinejad’s Latin American itinerary did not include a stop in Brasília.
Much like its Syrian ally, Iran becomes more and more of a global pariah every day. Outside of Venezuela, it has hardly any true allies. The Islamic Republic clearly views Latin America as a region that can provide an economic lifeline amid global sanctions and also enhance its perceived diplomatic legitimacy. If the radical, anti-American regimes in Venezuela, Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, and Nicaragua want to help the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, that’s one thing. But no respectable Latin American democracy should join them.
Attention was called again this week (http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2012/01/iran_building_missile_base_in_venezuela.html) to the fact that Iran is hurriedly constructing missile launch facilities for IRBMs in Venezuela, and that it has rockets capable of reaching parts of the U.S. from there, and is also feverishly working to acquire nuclear weapons.
Had we had a truly American President, had we a competent and courageous President, Hugo Chavez would have long since been reminded of the Monroe Doctrine and told to shut this operation down, or we would shut it down for him.
Mr. Daremblum always has the very best articles on Latin America!
Every American should be deeply concerned that Iran is constructing missile launch facilities for IRBMs in Venezuela, and has rockets capable of reaching parts of the U.S. from Venezuela and also working to acquire nuclear weapons.
Iran has vowed repeatedly to “Wipe Israel off the map”, and “Destroy America”. We cannot and must not ignore these threats to our two countries. To ignore the threats is irresponsible, immoral and suicidal. Radical Iran will not hesitate to massively attack our two countries when Iran considers the time is ripe to do so. Along with Iran, Venezuela, North Korea and other countries seek our total destruction.
EMP?
The Latin American countries, democracies, that have gotten close to Iran are most likely unaware of Islam’s 1,400 year history of conquest. In Islam, the world is divided into two: The House of Islam are the 56 nations that have already been conquered by Islam. The House of War are the nations not yet conquered by Islam, the rest of the world. The Koran commands Muslims to conquer all nations (which includes all of the Latin American countries now embracing Iran)and to subjugate non-Muslim infidels under excessively cruel Islamic sharia law where defenseless non-Muslims have NO human rights.
The number one priority of the Latin American countries must be to protect their peoples and nations from Islamic conquest!
And NOT just Latin America:
The Muslim Brotherhood Manifesto
Original and translation:
http://www.investigativeproject.org/documents/case_docs/445.pdf
An Explanatory Memorandum
On the General Strategic Goal
for the Group In North America,
5/22/1991,
produced by the Muslim Brotherhood.
4- Understanding the role of the Muslim Brother in North America:
The process of settlement is a “Civilization-Jihadist Process”
with all the word means. The Ikhwan must understand that their work in America
is a kind of grand Jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and “sabotaging” its miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and God’s religion is made victorious over all other religions.
Without this level of understanding, we are not up to this challenge and have not prepared ourselves for Jihad yet. It is a Muslim’s destiny to perform Jihad and work wherever he is and wherever he lands until the final hour comes, and there is no escape from that destiny except for those who chose to slack. But, would the slackers and the Mujahedeen be equal.
Chavez and Ahmadinejad have long been each other’s greatest ally. The Marxist-Islamic Alliance is alive and well.
http://www.jochnowitz.net/Essays/ChavezIran.html
Latin America is fertile ground for Iran because of its eternal anti-Americanism. They hate the US so much that they are the right tool for another front against us. Only the willful blind man won’t see it.
“Venezuela would begin selling Iran 20,000 barrels of gasoline every day.”
Seems ironic doesn’t it…that Iran can build a nuclear reactor but can’t build a gasoline refinery worth a damn?