Iran’s Ahmadinejad Seeks to Renew Ties in Latin America

Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will begin his fifth Latin American tour on Sunday, traveling to Cuba, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. Ahmadinejad has long focused on gaining political support from member countries of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) bloc, befriending leaders critical of U.S. policy who voice support for Iran on a global level. Since he assumed the presidency in 2005, his government has opened six new embassies in Latin America. During this tour, the Iranian leader will continue seeking a strategic alliance with Cuba’s Castro brothers, Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa, Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega, and Venezuela’s President Hugo Chávez. Ahmadinejad is also keen to extend economic and diplomatic ties as Iran grows increasingly isolated, especially in the face of international sanctions. While Iran has long faced sanctions due to its nuclear program, it was dealt a blow on January 1 when Washington implemented new measures against Iran’s central bank, targeting Iran’s oil industry. Brinkmanship ensued, with Iran holding military exercises and threatening to block the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic oil waterway.

The U.S. State Department issued a stern reminder to countries hosting the Iranian leader about Washington’s Iran policy. Some observers in the United States have also developed theories about Iran’s connections to organized crime in Latin America through Middle Eastern terrorism groups. But others question the claims. In an op-ed for CNN Global Public Square, AS/COA’s Christopher Sabatini and Ryan Berger comment: “The nature of the relationship between the Iranian and Venezuelan autocrats undoubtedly warrants further inspection and close observation…but the problem comes when these concerns are inflated with weak or even unsubstantiated claims.” Also, some concerns about Iran’s influence in Latin America have led to false alarm, such as the rumor of an Iranian “mega-embassy” in Managua, which U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had publicly affirmed as a potential threat.

Ahmadinejad will likely discuss economic issues on his trip, as trade has helped him solidify his Latin American ties and circumvent sanctions. For example, trade with Brazil quadrupled to $2 billion from 2002 to 2007, and Brazilian and Argentine trade with Iran increased by 88 percent and 96 percent, respectively, from 2007 to 2009. But Ahmadinejad’s investments in the region are unpopular within Iran, and in some cases, projects are losing money or simply not materializing. Doing business with Ahmadinejad can also lead to repercussions for Latin American countries, as demonstrated when the United States applied sanctions against Venezuela’s state oil company PVDSA last year as punishment for trading with Iran.

The Iranian leader’s Latin America trip is also notable for a possible fifth destination—as well as for a missed one. Reports from Guatemala indicate Ahmadinejad could also travel there for President-elect Otto Pérez Molina’s January 14 inauguration, which would count as his first visit to the Central American country. Pérez Molina, a conservative, found himself under fire in Guatemala over Ahmadinejad’s visit. The president-elect’s team quickly responded to criticism by explaining that invitations were extended to nearly 150 leaders with whom the Guatemala holds diplomatic relations.

Ahmadinejad will not travel to Brazil, a significant omission after his first visit there in 2009. In contrast with her predecessor, President Dilma Rousseff has been critical of Iran, speaking out against torture and supporting Brazil’s vote to investigate Iran at the UN Human Rights Council.  In 2009, then-President Luis Inácio Lula da Silva welcomed Ahmadinejad in Brasilia, and made a state visit to Tehran the following year. In May 2010, Brazil and Turkey negotiated a fuel swap deal for Iran, and voted against new UN sanctions against Iran the following month. While Ahmadinejad had met with other Latin American allies in the past, securing a state visit to Brazil added support from a powerful, moderate partner in an attempt to gain international legitimacy. The visit met protests in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, as well as international criticism.

Overall, Ahmadinejad’s 2009 tour offered Iran a chance to strengthen diplomatic ties as it became increasingly isolated, under threat from international sanctions and domestic opposition after a contested June 2009 election. The Iranian president also traveled to Venezuela and Bolivia, stressing his desire to expand economic ties with the region and bringing a delegation of 200 businessmen with him. In Brazil, the two presidents signed cooperation agreements in biotechnology, energy, and agriculture in a bid to expand bilateral trade to $15 billion. In Venezuela, Chávez and Ahmadinejad signed 70 bilateral agreements in a variety of areas, including energy, housing, and farming. While Ahmadinejad was in Bolivia, Morales voiced support for Iran’s nuclear ambitions, and both leaders affirmed their “alliance against imperialism.”

Ahmadinejad’s earlier trips to Latin America—he visited three times between September 2006 and September 2007—were also motivated by a desire to break Iran’s diplomatic isolation, gain support at the UN, and antagonize the United States while in the Western Hemisphere. During the initial 2006 visit, Ahmadinejad visited Venezuela and Cuba—the two countries that, along with Syria, were the only ones at the UN International Atomic Energy Agency to vote against a condemnation of Iran’s nuclear program. A few months later in January 2007 Ahmadinejad came for, or shortly after, the inaugurations of three presidents of ALBA member countries: Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez, Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega, and Ecuador’s Rafael Correa. He also visited Bolivian President Evo Morales. His September 2007 trip saw him visit Bolivia and Venezuela, where he promoted economic projects, including $1.1 billion in “industrial cooperation” with Bolivia, and further billions in trade cooperation with Venezuela.

Learn More:

• Read congressional testimony from Council of the Americas Vice President Eric Farnsworth about Iran's influence in Latin America.
• Read about Lula’s 2010 trip to Tehran in an AS/COA News Analysis.
• Read an article by AS/COA’s Christopher Sabatini and Ryan Berger for CNN’s Global Public Square about Ahmadinejad’s relationship with Chávez.
• See The Washington Post’s coverage of Ahmadinejad’s latest visit.
• Read The Atlantic’s take on Iran’s relationships in Latin America.
• Access CFR.org’s interactive Crisis Guide to Iran.
• Watch an Al Jazeera report on Ahmadinejad's 2012 visit.