U.S. General: Iran’s Influence Waning in Latin America

            Iran is “struggling to main influence” in Latin America, General John Kelly told the Senate Armed Services Committee on March 19. The region as a whole has not been receptive to Iran’s diplomatic and economic outreach. But the head of U.S. Southern Command warned that “limited intelligence capabilities” may not provide a full picture of all Iranian activities in Latin America.
 
            Iran’s proxy, the militant organization Hezbollah, has established a presence in Latin America, the general noted. General Kelly estimated that the Lebanese Shiite diaspora could generate up to “tens of millions of dollars” for Hezbollah through licit and illicit means. During a Pentagon news briefing on March 20, he advised U.S. allies in the region to deal cautiously with Iranians claiming to be journalists or peace workers ― who oftentimes are not “what they appear to be.” The following are excerpts from Kelly’s remarks to the Senate Armed Services Committee and the press.
 
Iran in the Western Hemisphere
            … The reality on the ground is that Iran is struggling to maintain influence in the region, and that its efforts to cooperate with a small set of countries with interests that are inimical to the United States are waning. In an attempt to evade international sanctions and cultivate anti-U.S. sentiment, the Iranian regime has increased its diplomatic and economic outreach across the region with nations like Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Argentina. This outreach has only been marginally successful, however, and the region as a whole has not been receptive to Iranian efforts.
 
            Members and supporters of Iran’s partner, Lebanese Hezbollah, have an established presence in several countries in the region. The Lebanese Shi’a diaspora in our area of responsibility may generate as much as tens of millions of dollars for Hezbollah through both licit and illicit means. There is also precedent for Iranian and Hezbollah collusion to conduct attacks in the region, as evidenced in the 1992 and 1994 bombings in Argentina. In Venezuela, government officials have been sanctioned for providing financial support to Hezbollah, and for providing support to the FARC’s narcotics and arms trafficking activities in Colombia. We take Iranian activities very seriously and, along with U.S. government agencies and international partners, we remain vigilant to the activities of Iran and affiliated extremist groups and remain prepared to work with our partners to counter any direct threat to U.S. national security. I would be remiss, however, if I did not share with the Congress my assessment that U.S. Southern Command’s limited intelligence capabilities may prevent our full awareness of all Iranian and Hezbollah activities in the region.
 
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Pentagon News Briefing
GEN. KELLY: “…[T]he last  five or six years there's been an increase in their establishment of embassies, you know, normal, you know, kind of country team embassies in Latin America, cultural centers too, and, you know, as -- as you probably know, there's a fair number of -- of Muslims that live in -- they're clustered in various places in -- in Latin America, but, you know, embassies, cultural centers. So all of that's above board. And -- and if that's what they want to do -- they don't -- they're not getting much traction by the way in terms of influence, although there are some Latin American countries that I won't go into that are -- that are concerned because they -- they -- although they haven't got much traction in certain places, they're getting traction in other places. 
 
The concern is that, you know, certainly they're looking, I would guess, for influence say for votes in the U.N. on sanctions or whatever, try to -- to warm up to people and gain friends. I mean, that's certainly the way international politics works. But also, and I've warned some of the -- made mention to some of our friends in -- in the region that these guys are very, very good at what they do, and very, very skilled at what they do, and that people should just be careful as to who they're dealing with, whether they claim to be an Iranian journalist or an Iranian, you know, peace worker or something, just -- just to be careful because these oftentimes are not what they -- what they appear to be or they're stated that they're -- what they're doing in their country…
 
QUESTION: What's your main concern? I mean, do you think these activities are -- could be related to terrorism, for example? 
 
GEN. KELLY: Yes. Not -- not accusing them of that, but that's kind of the business they're in in many parts of the world, we think. We do know that some terrorist organizations are able to skim -- skim off fairly substantial sums of money from the drug profits that come out of America. And so there has to be kind of a network for that to happen. 
 
So, that's kind of what we're looking at, but nothing to, you know, in a sense, nothing to be too concerned about right now, but -- but, you know, they're establishing an above-board network and I'll leave it go at that -- an above-board network of interaction with many countries in Latin America…
 
QUESTION: And as far as where this is all going, I mean, looking down the road, 10, 20 years, is the greatest -- one of the great fears that terrorists will use this, quote/unquote, "highway" to get into the United States? I mean, to go up through Africa and to Europe? 
 
GEN. KELLY: Yes. I mean, it's a very effective... 
 
QUESTION: Evidence, or, yes, that's sort of the fear? 

GEN. KELLY: I think the only evidence would be the -- the Iranian agent that was picked up by our guys on the way here to D.C. to kill the ambassador…
 
I would just say again the Iranians are very, very, very good at what they do. And you have to be very careful when you deal with them.
 
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