Iran’s Foreign Policy Page: 34 of 38
This report is part of the collection entitled: Congressional Research Service Reports and was provided to UNT Digital Library by the UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Iran's Foreign Policy
Venezuela9'
During Ahmadinej ad's presidency, Iran had particularly close relations with Venezuela and its
president, Hugo Chavez, who died in office in March 2013. Neither Rouhani nor Chavez's
successor, Nicolas Maduro, have expressed the enthusiasm for the relationship that Chavez and
Ahmadinejad did. However, even during Chavez's presidency, the United States did not
necessarily perceive a threat from the Iran-Venezuela relationship. In July 2012, President Obama
stated that Iran-Venezuela ties have not had "a serious national security impact on the United
States. "92
Only a few of the economic agreements between Iran and Venezuela during the Ahmadinej ad and
Chavez presidencies were implemented. A direct air link was established but then suspended in
2010 for lack of sufficient customer interest. It was reportedly restarted by President Maduro in
January 2015 in order to try to promote tourism between the two countries.93 A deal for Petroleos
de Venezuela to supply Iran with gasoline was signed in September 2009, apparently in a joint
effort to circumvent U.S. sanctions on sales of gasoline to Iran, and Petroleos was therefore
sanctioned under the Iran Sanctions Act in May 2011.94
Argentina'-
Argentina is the one country in Latin America in which there is substantial evidence that Iran and
Hezbollah have carried out acts of terrorism, in this case against Israeli and Jewish targets.
The two major attacks in Buenos Aires-the 1992 bombing of the Israeli embassy and the 1994
bombing of a Jewish community center (Argentine-Israeli Mutual Association, AMIA)-still
affect the Argentine political system. Based on indictments and the copious investigative
information that has been revealed, there is a broad consensus that these attacks were carried out
by Hezbollah operatives, assisted by Iranian diplomats and their access to diplomatic privileges.
Many in Argentina's Jewish community opposed a January 2013 Iran-Argentina memorandum of
understanding to investigate the 1994 bombing by forming a "truth commission," rather than to
aggressively prosecute the Iranians involved. Opponents of that agreement assert that it
undermined Argentina's efforts to prosecute the Iranians involved. In May 2013, the Argentine
prosecutor in the AMIA bombing case, Alberto Nisman, issued a 500-page report alleging that
Iran has been working for decades in Latin America, setting up intelligence stations in the region
by utilizing embassies, cultural organizations, and even mosques as a source of recruitment. In
January 2015, Nisman was found dead of a gunshot wound, prompting turmoil in Argentina amid
reports that he was to request indictment of Argentina's president for allegedly conspiring with
Iran to bury the AMIA bombing issue.
The Buenos Aires attacks took place more than 20 years ago and there have not been any recent
public indications that Iran and/or Hezbollah are planning attacks in Argentina. However, in
February 2015, Uruguay stated that an Iranian diplomat posted there had left the country before
91 For more information, see CRS Report R43239, Venezuela: Background and U.S. Relations, by Mark P. Sullivan
92 Comments by President Barack Obama on "CNN: The Situation Room," July 11, 2012.
93 http://panampost.com/sabrina-martin/2015/04/06/iran-takes-venezuelan-money-passes-on-deliveries/.
94 http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/24/us-iran-usa-sanctions-idUSTRE74N47R20 110524.
95 For more information, see CRS Report R43816, Argentina: Background and U.S. Relations, by Mark P. Sullivan and
Rebecca M. Nelson.Congressional Research Service
30
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This report can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Report.
Katzman, Kenneth. Iran’s Foreign Policy, report, June 30, 2015; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc817125/m1/34/: accessed April 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.