Iran at America's Doorstep

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton noted last week that Iran was aggressively moving to increase its presence and influence in Latin America. Iran's goal in the region is pretty clear: Tehran is working to build a network of states that can serve as a platform for the promotion of its anti-Western ideology and as a bulwark against United Nations sanctions efforts.

The most prominent partnership for Iran thus far has been with Venezuela. Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez has embraced Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's anti-Americanism and has built a close relationship with Iran through strong economic and military ties, including a recently signed Memorandum of Understanding designed to strengthen the military ties between the two countries.

Iran's relationship with Venezuela has served as a catalyst for Tehran to invest in other Latin American countries, with ongoing economic projects in Bolivia, Ecuador and Nicaragua. Iran has announced the opening of new embassies in each of these countries and in Chile, Columbia and Uruguay.

Perhaps the most troubling aspect of Iran's increasing presence and influence in Latin America is the potential for increased terrorist activity from Lebanese Hezbollah. Hezbollah, which is funded, armed and trained in large part through Iranian support, has a history of activity in Latin America and is widely believed to be responsible for bombings in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1992 and 1994. Hezbollah is also suspected by some analysts of having ties to both Columbian and Mexican drug cartels. New Iranian embassies in Latin America offer diplomatic cover for Hezbollah to increase its financing and anti-Western activities.

Having already established footholds throughout the region, Iran is looking to expand even more as president Ahmadinejad visits Brazil this week, with a stopover in Venezuela, to discuss future economic and energy initiatives. This is no small matter. Brazil is one of the most pro-American countries in Latin America and Iranian attempts to sway Brazil away from the United States should not be disregarded. U.S. policy makers in Washington must recognize the danger of allowing Iran unfettered access to the countries in America's backyard. Every state that enters into an economic alliance with Iran diminishes the effect of international sanctions designed to punish Iran for its defiance of the United Nations over its nuclear program. And every state that enters into a military alliance with Iran increases the potential for hostile activity directed at the United States and the west. Iran is at America's doorstep, and America would be wise to pay attention.