Iran vows to station warships in Panama Canal after forging ties with Latin American dictators

Iran plans to station warships in the Panama Canal, the latest step in its ongoing campaign to install a presence in Latin America and infiltrate the United States’ backyard.

Iranian Navy commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani announced the plans on Wednesday and said they would be implemented later this year. A presence in the Panama Canal would mark the first time the Iranian Navy has sailed in the Pacific Ocean.

The move is just the latest in Iran’s ongoing campaign to deepen its ties with Latin America, which has recently included deals with anti-US Venezuelan dictator Nicholas Maduro, Nicaragua and increasingly friendly relations with Bolivia.

Experts say Iran’s activities are undoubtedly aimed at defying the US and demonstrating its ability to establish a military presence within reach of American territory. It comes amid rising tensions between the two nations.

An Iranian tank is engaged by an Iranian Navy amphibious assault ship on a beach

During a ceremony in the Iranian capital, Admiral Irani said the Navy’s plans for the Panama Canal are intended to “strengthen our maritime presence in international waters.”

“The Army Navy has been present in all strategic straits in the world so far, and we have not only been present in two straits, and we will be present in one of those straits this year,” Irani said. “We plan to be present in the Panama Canal”,

“Today we need to strengthen our maritime presence in international waters and today we can say that there are no scientific obstacles to grow in this field,” he added, according to Iranian state-controlled media.

The Panama Canal connects the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. It is approximately 2,500 miles from the southernmost border of the United States.

Iranian Navy commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani announced plans for the Panama Canal on Wednesday, saying they would come to fruition later this year

The Panama Canal connects the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. It is approximately 2,500 miles from the southernmost border of the United States

Iran’s plans for the Panama Canal come days after the third anniversary of the deployment 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 US.

“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 that the murderers and perpetrators will not sleep lightly.”

The comments were just the latest blow in a time of ever-rising tensions between the two nations.

In Latin America, Iran and the US fought last summer after a large Venezuelan cargo plane linked to Iran and terrorist groups in Argentina grounded after the nation refused to refuel the plane in accordance with US sanctions.

The plane was found to be manned by a number of Iranians, and the United States said it believes the plane was part of an Iranian intelligence operation in the region. Both Iran and Venezuela denied these allegations.

Iran has also reportedly targeted current and former US government officials, journalists and activists perceived as a threat to its regime, according to The Washington Post.

One such plan was the kidnapping of former national security adviser John Bolton in Washington DC last year, but was thwarted by security officials.

A ship sails through the Panama Canal. The route is crucial for global trade

Iranian Navy soldiers stationed on a beach after being deployed from an amphibious assault ship

An Iranian warship sailing near the Persian Gulf. The fleet will soon enter the Pacific Ocean for the first time

Joseph Humire, national security analyst specializing in Latin America for the think tank Center for a Secure Free Society, said Iran’s plans for Panama are part of its ongoing campaign to settle in the US’ backyard.

“That’s what Iran has been building in Latin America for the last 30 or 40 years,” establishing embassies and bilateral agreements with a variety of nations, Humire said, according to The Washington Free Beacon.

He said Iran’s intention “has always been a military presence in Latin America, so it’s not at all surprising that its navy is announcing it will take steps on the Panama Canal.”

“This is a huge escalation if this is going to happen,” he added. “A lot of people might belittle Iran in terms of its capabilities, but I wouldn’t belittle it because they’ve been building on it for a very long time.”

Humire noted that Iran’s plans have also long included establishing embassies across the region and signing treaties to strengthen ties with sympathetically anti-American nations.

Venezuelan President Maduro and Iranian President Raisi shook hands in Tehran last June

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (right) and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (left) shake hands in Venezuela August

Among those efforts in Latin America is an outstanding relationship Iran has forged with Venezuela, currently under the rule of President Maduro, whom many have likened to a dictator and who has long been an opponent of the United States.

Just last June, Iran and Venezuela signed a 20-year strategic cooperation agreement that formally cemented economic ties between the two nations, which have come under heavy US sanctions.

Maduro traveled to Iran to personally sign the agreement with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.

Iranian ships have also frequently docked along the Venezuelan coast in recent years, demonstrating their ability to deploy warships across the Gulf of Mexico from the United States.

A Venezuelan cargo plane with ties to Iran and terrorist groups has been 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 deal signed with Nicaragua just last month. Iranian diplomats called the plan a “new and strategic” cooperation deal, according to the Tehran Times.

In August, Iranian Vice President Mohammad Hosseini traveled to Colombia to attend the inauguration of President Gustavo Petro, who has openly criticized US policies.

During this trip, Hosseini also met with Brazilian Foreign Minister Carlos Alberto Franco Franca, who said, according to the Iran Press Agency, “We are determined to strengthen our ties with the Islamic Republic of Iran in various areas, including political and economic ones.”

And last fall, Bolivian officials notably pledged their support for Iran, despite most of the world condemning its violent response to mass protests across the country.

Bolivian ambassador to Iran Romina Pérez called Iran’s Bolivia brother and said the South American country “condemns the unrest in Iran perpetrated by British and American Zionists. We are sure that these issues will be resolved with the understanding of the esteemed Iranian leader.’