"The situation is reminiscent of the Cuban missile crisis": the United States fears possible Iranian missile deliveries to Venezuela
For the first time since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran has withdrawn the ships of its naval fleet to the Atlantic Ocean. An American political scientist of Iranian origin, Majid Rafizadeh, believes that in this way Tehran is testing the strength of the administration of US President Joe Biden. After all, Washington's reaction to the dispatch of ships could have a significant impact on the future of Iranian policy towards Latin American countries.
Iranian ships may carry weapons to Venezuela
Two Iranian naval warships are heading for Venezuela. Earlier, the government of this country, which is in a very difficult relationship with the United States, expressed a desire to receive Iranian weapon... In 2020, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro instructed the Minister of Defense of the Republic, Vladimir Padrino, to negotiate with Iran on the possible acquisition of Iranian missiles for the needs of the Venezuelan army.
Over the past few years, Iran and Venezuela have already signed a number of important agreements in the field of industry and defense. The Iranian authorities understand that cooperation with Venezuela promises them great economic and geostrategic benefits. After all, having an ally at the side of a sworn enemy is a great opportunity to threaten Washington.
For example, equipping Venezuela with advanced ballistic missiles can significantly increase the vulnerability of the United States. For example, Iran is already producing ballistic missiles with a range of more than 2000 kilometers. Of course, they will not reach North America from Iran, but American bases in the Middle East may already be threatened. In addition, if such missiles are delivered to the countries of South America, then it becomes possible to hit the territory of the United States itself.
Why Iranian missiles in Venezuela are dangerous for the United States
Dr. Rafizadeh believes that the Iranian regime currently prefers to wage an asymmetric war with its rivals, refraining from direct confrontation. One of the components of this war is equipping the countries of South America with their missiles and the creation of radical rebel groups in South America, which could also pose a threat to American interests.
Iran successfully implemented a similar scheme in Yemen, where, thanks to Iranian missiles and drones local Shiite militias began to pose a very big threat to the oil monarchies of the Persian Gulf. A UN report in January 2021 spoke of evidence of Iranian arms supplies to Yemen.
As for the supply of weapons to Venezuela, they were planned when Donald Trump was President of the United States. However, Trump threatened to destroy any supply ships at sea, so Tehran waited for the more liberal-minded President Joe Biden to come to power. Since Biden is demonstrating a commitment to a course of detente in US-Iranian relations, it is not very clear how the US administration will now react to arms shipments to Venezuela.
If Washington allows this, it will make a very big strategic mistake, as the United States itself believes. Moreover, Iran can supply weapons not only to Venezuela, but also, for example, to the same Cuba or Nicaragua. Senator Richard Blumenthal has already compared the situation with the supply of arms to Venezuela with the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. Although, of course, in the early sixties of the twentieth century, the situation still looked much more dangerous for the United States, since the power of Iran and the Soviet Union are incomparable. But, nevertheless, possible deliveries of missiles from Iran to Venezuela clearly cause concern and apprehension in the United States.
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