Iran Wants a Presence in the Panama Canal

Between the demoralization of the military and a drop and its numbers, an economy in disarray, a wide open border, a dire lack of oil and weapons, and an administration that seems hell-bent on starting World War III in Europe, conservatives and independents are not the only ones taking notice of the state of the union. Enemies of the U.S. are smelling the blood in the water that is being hemorrhaged by a weakened America. They are emboldened by what will become known in military textbooks as one of the worst military withdrawals in the history of the world and political leaders who are more concerned with pronouns and white supremacy than anything else. And they are testing their limits.

According to a report in the Washington Free Beacon, Iran wants to establish a presence in the Panama Canal as part of a military presence in the Western Hemisphere. The same State Department that just last week was fretting over the fonts its employees use is “monitoring” the situation.

Lest you think this is just a potential eventuality, this could happen as soon as next month. Two Iranian warships have been granted permission to dock in Brazil. One of them is outfitted with “anti-ship cruise missiles, torpedoes, and naval cannons.” A department spokesman told the Free Beacon, “We are aware of these claims by Iran’s navy. We continue to monitor Iran’s attempts to have a military presence in the Western Hemisphere.” The spokesman did not elaborate on the administration’s plans.

To complicate matters, Venezuela just signed an agreement with Iran, giving that country a bigger role in its energy industry. As the article points out, this complicates matters for the Biden administration, which will now have to deal with a growing Iranian presence in an area that has seen an increase in dictatorships that are interested in doing business with the country.

The Panama Canal is, of course, a major shipping artery and is also dangerously close to the United States when it comes to hostile military forces. This should be particularly worrisome since Iran has beefed up its terrorist activities even as the Biden administration has tried to bring the regime back to the table with the nuclear pact. And for added measure, Iran is threatening to shut down the Strait of Hormuz, which could make international shipping even more problematic.

The piece also quoted Joseph Humire, who is an executive director of the Center for a Secure Free Society and a  national security analyst who focuses on Latin American issues. Humire said:

The Iranian warships ported in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, are about one to two weeks away or more from entering the Canal Zone, giving the Biden administration time to leverage and enforce U.S. sanctions. Integrated deterrence, which is the defense posture of the Biden administration, requires ‘integration across the spectrum of conflict to prevent competitors from altering the status quo in ways that harm U.S. vital interests. (Iran) is literally testing the waters for further provocations in the near future. This cannot be allowed. And our defense posture is designed to deal with this.

Humire is right. Iran and other enemies will see just how close they can get and how far they can push us. They know Biden and his cronies are focused on Ukraine and are too agenda-driven, deluded, crooked, or arrogant to effectively respond. Iran, along with the rest of the world, saw the bloody debacle in Afghanistan and believes America is too woke and weak to assert itself. And quite frankly, this administration, which would get lost on Sesame Street and seems to be perpetually stuck there, is in over its head. But I am sure that Antony Blinken is in the process of drafting a strongly worded response in Calibri font. I don’t know about you, but I feel better already.