Penetration and Influence of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Latin America

Paredes Esteban, Jorge — Wed, 22 Nov 2023 17:04:53 +0000

Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran has actively sought to establish itself as a key player both in the Middle East and on the global stage. This ambition has been largely shaped by its antagonistic relations with the United States and Israel, along with critical factors like its nuclear program and ties with groups like Hezbollah. Iran’s foray into Latin America is a strategic move, driven by a need to respond to international pressures and an opportunity to align with leftist governments sharing anti-American and anti-capitalist sentiments. This study delves into Iran’s motivations for penetrating Latin America post-1979, examining the objectives and strategies of the Ayatollahs’ regime. It also explores how Iran maintains its influence in the region and impacts political, ideological, and religious dynamics. The research synthesizes contributions from various global think tanks and academic institutions to provide a comprehensive view of Iran’s presence in Latin America, its implications for security, defense, and international relations, and to offer new insights into the complex Iran-Latin America relationship.

Download

The post Penetration and Influence of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Latin America appeared first on ICT.

Propaganda, Narratives and Influence in Latin America: Iran, Hezbollah and Al-Tajammu

Paredes Esteban, Jorge — Sun, 03 Jul 2022 04:30:51 +0000

Since the end of the last century, Latin America has been a prominent area in which Iran has sought to expand its influence and scope of action. From drug smuggling to money laundering, from fundraising to recruitment and proselytism, even terrorist attacks, Iran-related activities in Latin America have been in motion from the Bolivarian Venezuela in the north to Argentina in the south, from the Chile in the west to Brazil in the east.

However, Iran has not been working on its own. It is not wrong to say that, in most cases, ubi Iran, ibi Hezbollah. The Lebanese Party of God not only was related to the terrorist attack against the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires (1992) or to the AMIA bombing (1994) but also, they have carried out fundraising, propaganda and smuggling operations.^[1]

Furthermore, other pro-Iranian organizations such as Al-Tajammu are playing a remarkable role in the spread of Iranian influence in the region. Al-Tajammu^[2] is a pro-Iranian Lebanon-based organization with connections to Hezbollah, Shiite militias as well as with other terrorist organizations such as the Palestinian Islamic Jihad or the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

All these actors are taking advantage of the internet, webpages and the new social media platforms, as well as the points of convergence at the ideological level that they share with the radical revolutionary left characteristic of Latin America, mainly emphasizing the anti-imperialism discourse.

This paper focuses on the networks of Iran, Hezbollah and the pro-Iranian Al-Tajammu; the dissemination and broadcast channels, including radio stations, webpages, or YouTube channels, as well as the nexus, narrative and collaboration shared between Islamism and left-wing positions, the so-called red-green alliance, , mainly focusing on two countries, Argentina and Chile. The information offered in this paper is based on open-sources material, including different social medial networks.

[1] For a more in-depth analysis on Hezbollah in LATAM, see D. Marinides, “Hezbollah in Latin America: A Potential Grey Zone Player in Great Power Competition”, Perry Center Occasional Paper, William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies (2021).

[2] M. Barak, “Al-Tajammu: a Pro-Iranian International Platform to Leverage the Resistance Axis”, International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (2021).

Download

The post Propaganda, Narratives and Influence in Latin America: Iran, Hezbollah and Al-Tajammu appeared first on ICT.

Latin America Archives - ICT

Penetration and Influence of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Latin America

Propaganda, Narratives and Influence in Latin America: Iran, Hezbollah and Al-Tajammu