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Iran plans to station warships in the Panama Canal, the latest move in its ongoing campaign to establish a presence in Latin America and infiltrate the United States’ backyard.
Iran’s Navy Commander, Rear Admiral Shahram Irani, announced the plans on Wednesday, saying they would come to fruition by the end of this year. A presence in the Panama Canal would mark the first time Iran’s navy has sailed in the Pacific Ocean.
The move is just the latest in Iran’s ongoing campaign to deepen its ties in Latin America, which recently included treaties signed with anti-American Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, Nicaragua and increasingly friendly relations with Bolivia.
Experts say that Iran’s activities are undoubtedly intended to challenge the US and demonstrate the ability to build a military presence within reach of US soil. It comes amid escalating tensions between the two nations.
An Iranian tank is deployed on a beach from an Iranian Navy amphibious ship.
During a ceremony in Iran’s capital, Admiral Irani said the Navy’s plans for the Panama Canal were aimed at “strengthening our maritime presence in international waters.”
“The army’s navy has been present in all the strategic straits in the world to date, and we have not been present in only two straits, and we will be present in one of these straits this year,” Irani said. ‘We plan to be present in the Panama Canal’
“Today we have to strengthen our maritime presence in international waters and today we can say that there is no scientific barrier to growing in this field,” he added, according to media controlled by the Iranian state.
The Panama Canal connects the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean. It is located about 2,500 miles from the southernmost border of the United States.
Iran’s Navy Commander, Rear Admiral Shahram Irani, announced plans for the Panama Canal on Wednesday, saying they would be finalized by the end of this year.
The Panama Canal connects the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean. It is located about 2,500 miles from the southern border of the United States.
Iran’s plans for the Panama Canal come days after the third anniversary of the assignment of prominent Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in a targeted US drone strike on January 3, 2020. .
Speaking to a crowd in Tehran last week, President Raisi vowed revenge on the United States.
“We have not and will not forget the blood of the martyr Soleimani,” he said. “Americans must know that revenge for the blood of the martyr Soleimani is certain, and the murderers and perpetrators will not have an easy sleep.”
The comments were just the latest blow in a period of escalating tensions between the two nations.
In Latin America, Iran and the US sparred last summer after a large Venezuelan cargo plane with ties to Iran and terror groups went down in Argentina after the nation refused to refuel the plane in accordance with regulations. US sanctions
The plane was found to be manned by several Iranians, and the United States said it believed the plane was part of an Iranian intelligence operation in the area. Iran and Venezuela denied those accusations.
Iran has also reportedly been targeting current and former US government officials, and journalists and activists considered threats to its regime, according to the report. Washington Post.
One such plot was to kidnap former national security adviser John Bolton in Washington DC last year, but was thwarted by security agencies.
A ship navigates through the Panama Canal. The route is critical to global trade.
Iranian Navy soldiers stationed on a beach after being deployed from an amphibious landing ship
An Iranian warship sailing near the Persian Gulf. The fleet will soon enter the Pacific Ocean for the first time
Latin America-focused national security analyst at the Center for a Secure Free Society think tank Joseph Humire said Iran’s plans for Panama are part of its ongoing campaign to establish itself in the United States’ backyard.
“This is what Iran has been building in Latin America for the last 30 to 40 years” by establishing embassies and bilateral agreements with a host of nations, Humire said, according to The Washington Free Beacon.
He said that Iran’s intention “has always been to have a military presence in Latin America, so it is not at all surprising that its navy announces that it will make moves in the Panama Canal.”
“This is a tremendous escalation if it’s going to happen,” he added. “Many people may write off Iran in terms of its capabilities, but I wouldn’t write it off because they’ve been building this for a long time.”
Humire noted that Iran’s plans have also long included establishing embassies throughout the region and signing treaties to strengthen ties with sympathetic anti-American nations.
Venezuelan President Maduro and Iranian President Raisi shake hands in Tehran last June
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro (right) and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (left) shake hands in Venezuela in August.
Among those efforts in Latin America is a prominent relationship that Iran has been building with Venezuela, which is currently under the rule of President Maduro, who many have compared to a dictator and has long been an adversary of the United States. .
Last June, Iran and Venezuela signed a 20-year strategic cooperation agreement that officially solidified economic ties between the two nations that have been heavily sanctioned by the United States.
Maduro traveled to Iran to sign the agreement in person with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.
Iranian ships have also frequently docked at ports along Venezuela’s coasts in recent years, demonstrating their ability to station warships in the Gulf of Mexico from the US.
A Venezuelan cargo plane with ties to Iran and terror groups was grounded in Argentina after the nation refused to refuel the plane in accordance with US sanctions.
Other forays into Latin America from Iran include a similar treaty signed with Nicaragua last month. Iranian diplomats called the plan a “new and strategic” cooperation treaty, according to the Tehran Times.
In August, Iran’s Vice President Mohammad Hosseini traveled to Colombia to attend the inauguration of President Gustavo Petro, who has been outspokenly critical of US policies.
During that trip, Hosseini also met with Brazilian Foreign Minister Carlos Alberto Franco Franca, who said that “we are determined to shore up our relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran in different areas, including political and economic areas,” according to Iranian Press Agency.
And last fall, Bolivian officials were notably vocal in their support for Iran, even as most of the world condemned its violent response to mass protests across the country.
Bolivia’s ambassador to Iran, Romina Perez, called Iran Bolivia’s brother and said the South American country “condemns the riots in Iran perpetrated by British and American Zionists.” We are sure that these issues will be resolved with the understanding of the beloved leader of Iran.”