What Goals Does Iran Pursue in Latin America?

The Deputy for Europe and America at Iran's Foreign Ministry stated that interaction with Latin America is a priority for Iran's programs. According to ISNA, Majid Takht-Ravanchi, during a meeting with Juan Carlos Alurralde, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Bolivia, expressed interest in Iran's involvement in areas such as dam construction, water supply, aquaculture, and electricity generation in Bolivia. Iran's relations with Latin American countries have typically been a function of the Islamic Republic's goal to expand its sphere of influence close to the borders of the United States. In recent years, with the rise of leftist and nationalist governments in some Latin American countries, and their priorities in economic, social, and political policies sometimes aligning with Iran's interests, relations between Iran and these countries have entered a new phase. During a period when Iran was under international sanctions, one of the benefits of establishing close relations with some of these countries was circumventing sanctions and obtaining raw uranium needed for nuclear activities from mines in Ecuador and Venezuela. On the other hand, some Latin American countries that oppose U.S. influence have created a suitable opportunity for Iran to establish a foothold for its foreign policy in this region. Meanwhile, the U.S. has repeatedly expressed concern over Iran's influence in this area and warned Latin American countries about strengthening ties with Iran. Mohammad Reza Heydari, former Iranian consul in Oslo, believes that Iran's support and presence in Latin America, Africa, and occasionally even in East Asian countries is to use financial resources at critical moments to support forces opposing Western interests and to strike at U.S. and Western interests. However, after the Vienna nuclear agreement and discussions about lifting sanctions, especially considering the different approach of Hassan Rouhani's government in defining the Islamic Republic's foreign policy, the status of Iran's relations with Latin American countries is in question. Habib Hosseini-Fard, an international affairs analyst residing in Germany, stated that the unprecedented closeness and expansion of Iran's relations with Latin America during Ahmadinejad's presidency was a political decision aimed at seeking allies in various regions under U.S. pressure regarding the nuclear issue. Given the lack of economic convergence, ethnic, religious, and cultural ties, and significant geographical distance, Latin American countries have tried to take full advantage of Iran's inclination, benefiting more than Iran itself. Iran's investments in education and health sectors in countries like Nicaragua, Bolivia, Ecuador, or even assisting Venezuela in transferring machinery industries have reportedly been unprofitable for Iran. After Rouhani came to power, relations between Iran and Latin America began to decline as Iran was resolving its issues with the U.S. directly regarding the nuclear issue. Overall, in Latin America, considering the trends in relations among so-called anti-imperialist countries like Cuba and even Venezuela, especially Brazil, which has not maintained its previous relationship with Iran since Dilma Rousseff took office, these factors have contributed to the deterioration of relations. The softening of relations between Latin America and the U.S. and between Iran and the U.S. has rendered the relations that Ahmadinejad sought to expand increasingly meaningless. Although Iran naturally does not want to lose its relations with Latin American countries, there are signs that with the start of the eleventh government, actions have begun to reduce the intensity of relations that sometimes yielded no benefits for Iran. Among these signs is the closure of the National Iranian Oil Company's office in Bolivia and Venezuela, which made headlines in the early months of the eleventh government.