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Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (R) and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez wave to journalists during Chavez's visit to Iran earlier this July. (Reuters)
Last update - 00:00 22/07/2007
Foreign Ministry concerned about Iran's ties with South America
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent

The Foreign Ministry is concerned about Iran's activities in South America including a high number of embassy officials who could be taking part in terror, according to an evaluation by the ministry.

Last week marked 13 years since the attack on the Jewish community building in Buenos Aires in which 85 people were killed. A few months ago an Argentine judge determined that Iran and Hezbollah were responsible for the attack and asked Interpol to issue international arrest warrants for seven senior Iranian officials and Imad Mughniyeh, head of the Islamic Jihad unit at Hezbollah and responsible for its activities abroad.

Interpol is expected to make a final decision in November and issue warrants.
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The defense establishment has for years seen the border areas between Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil as a focus of Iranian and Hezbollah terror. Iran, meanwhile, has opened embassies in Nicaragua, Ecuador and Chile, and increased commercial ties and visits by senior officials. Iran has also enlarged its missions in Venezuela, Uruguay, Mexico and Colombia.

The Foreign Ministry says these embassies have an "astronomical number" of diplomats, in no proportion to their needs. In Nicaragua, for example, there are 30 Iranian diplomats, with a similar number in Venezuela and other countries. Israel fears that these are intelligence operatives also involved in terror.

Jerusalem is also concerned at the emerging alliance between Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Over the past two years, Chavez has been in Tehran six times and Ahmadinejad has visited Caracas twice. A direct flight between Tehran and Caracas, which refuels in Damascus, has carried thousands of Iranians.

The Foreign Ministry notes that according to international media reports, Venezuela intends to sell uranium to Iran to advance Iran's nuclear program, and that Venezuela is forging shipping documents for equipment involving Iran's nuclear program.

Venezuela also intends to help ease Iran's energy crunch by selling it oil distillates. Because of Iranian concerns that its assets abroad might be frozen, Tehran is transferring some of its accounts to Venezuelan banks. Iran is to supply weapons to Venezuela and support Chavez's arms program.

Israel has told some Latin American countries that Iran is endangering world peace through terror and its nuclear program. Some of the countries share Israel's concerns and have asked for intelligence and counter-terror assistance.

Other countries have reacted coolly due to their commercial connections with Iran and their need for cash. A senior government official in Jerusalem said "no matter what sanctions the U.N. Security Council imposes, it's not certain that the countries in that continent will not break them because of closer ties with Tehran."
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  1.   Israel Continues To 07:18  |  Hunter 22/07/07
  2.   Obsessions and their results 07:21  |  Puregoldj 22/07/07
  3.   Why dont you add Africa to the list.... 07:28  |  Lawyer II 22/07/07
  4.   Iran 10:12  |  Hannah 22/07/07
  5.   Oooooooooh...... 10:16  |  Clickfool 22/07/07
  6.   And what of America`s secret Military Base(s). 10:28  |  Maureen Ann 22/07/07
  7.   #6 Clickfool: UK also in danger 11:01  |  Liliane 22/07/07
  8.   A test for Liliane # 8 11:19  |  Clickfool 22/07/07
  9.   DON`T WORRY GUYS, THIRD AIRPLANE 11:22  |  Robert 22/07/07
  10.   #4, Lawyer II 12:42  |  Hannah 22/07/07
  11.   WHY NOT WORRY ABOUT US/SAUDI RELATIONS? 12:56  |  Marco 22/07/07
  12.   Clickfool - it is easy 12:56  |  Gil 22/07/07
  13.   thats rich... 13:01  |  ravi 22/07/07
  14.   For Gil in Haifa # 14 13:32  |  Clickfool 22/07/07
  15.   Iran has unsed wepons of mass destruction in the past 14:09  |  x 22/07/07
  16.   So, the Foreign Ministry is concerned ... 14:28  |  Axel 22/07/07
  17.   The "monkey" as real Iranians call Ahmadinejad 14:58  |  PETER SM 22/07/07
  18.   A HORRIBLE PROSPECT INDEED 15:02  |  indrajaya 22/07/07
  19.   CHAVEZ will need Republican Guard style gestapo to enforce 15:12  |  PETER SM 22/07/07
  20.   wher are the human rights campaigners ? left the column 15:18  |  victor hardman 22/07/07
  21.   Tin Pot Dictators and the New Alternatives 15:19  |  Ronnie Wolman 22/07/07
  22.   Indrajaya. Send your Kopassus murderers to Chavez 15:19  |  PETER SM 22/07/07
  23.   # 22, PETRE SM 15:40  |  indrajaya 22/07/07
  24.   Indrajaya Unlike the Papuans occupied by you,the Pals 16:01  |  PETER SM 22/07/07
  25.   INDRAJAYA.IRAN is occupying Kurdistan. 16:04  |  PETER SM 22/07/07
  26.   # 25, PETRE SM 16:20  |  indrajaya 22/07/07
  27.   ...to(5)...of course Clicky 16:37  |  The Dumbite kid 22/07/07
  28.   talkbacks 16:49  |  Mark 22/07/07
  29.   indrajaya occupied according to whom? the thousands of KURDS 17:06  |  PETER SM 22/07/07
  30.   My Name Is Ronnie Wolman 17:18  |  Ronnie Wolman 22/07/07
  31.   The friendship between....... 17:36  |  Deborah 22/07/07
  32.   # 29, PETRE SM 17:39  |  indrajaya 22/07/07
  33.   Indrajaya 17:54  |  Ruth 22/07/07
  34.   indrajaya indrajaya 18:00  |  Craig F 22/07/07
  35.   Indrajaya # 23 Hello 18:06  |  Gil 22/07/07
  36.   Iran`s regimes days numbered 18:35  |  Nasib 22/07/07
  37.   To Robert #9 18:37  |  Persian Kitty 22/07/07
  38.   Venezuela is a potentially real threat to the region 18:44  |  Dennis M Starkman 22/07/07
  39.   Zionists are "concerned" about Iran?!!! 19:24  |  ManInTheMiddle 22/07/07
  40.   For Ronnie Wolman # 30 19:24  |  Clickfool 22/07/07
  41.   #26 and 35. Changing the subject. 19:38  |  ManInTheMiddle 22/07/07
  42.   I hope this is satire 19:54  |  Aaron Levitt 22/07/07
  43.   To be fair... 20:12  |  Aaron Levitt 22/07/07
  44.   Man In The Middle 20:12  |  Gil 22/07/07
  45.   39 - Why Jews are concerned with Jihad 20:27  |  Bruriah Sarah 22/07/07
  46.   Man In The Middle # 41 20:28  |  Gil 22/07/07
  47.   For Sake of Moral Consistency, US Shd Support Castro, Chavez, ... 21:29  |  AH 22/07/07
  48.   Confusion re: ethnic cleansing 22:06  |  Aaron Levitt 22/07/07
  49.   to#25 Kurdistan occupied by iran!!!!!! 22:27  |  kia 22/07/07
  50.   Gil 35 22:35  |  kia 22/07/07
  51.   Aaron Levitt - Satire? 22:54  |  Fabrizio 22/07/07
  52.   # 48 kia 23:26  |  Axel 22/07/07
  53.   #25, PETER SM 23:32  |  Burkhardt 22/07/07
  54.   #41 man is on his head mandates wer 23:35  |  victor hardman 22/07/07
  55.   BURKHARDT @53 a good apology for Moslem occupiers. 00:10  |  PETER SM 23/07/07
  56.   KIA Iran has been supressing and murdering Kurds for generations 00:18  |  PETER SM 23/07/07
  57.   Kai - from Iran 01:13  |  Gil 23/07/07
  58.   #29 PETER SM poses a question 03:39  |  Johnboy 23/07/07
  59.   IS ANTI AMERICANISM THREAT TO WORLD PEACE? 04:26  |  Marco 23/07/07
  60.   Ravi (#13) is right 04:57  |  Otto Rand 23/07/07
  61.   JIHNBOY The Kurds regard themselves as occupied& say so 05:11  |  PETER SM 23/07/07
  62.   Indrajaya, 05:13  |  Otto Rand 23/07/07
  63.   JOHNBOY You know better than the Kurdish National congress! 05:42  |  PETER SM 23/07/07
  64.   #63 PETER SM 07:09  |  Johnboy 23/07/07
  65.   Iranians are everywhere here 07:17  |  Fortuna Benmayor 23/07/07
  66.   # 34, CRAIG F 07:49  |  indrajaya 23/07/07
  67.   #62 Otto Rand/Indrayoyo 07:55  |  Terrorist watcher 23/07/07
  68.   # 33, RUTH 08:01  |  indrajaya 23/07/07
  69.   #64 Oops. Iran, not Turkey 08:41  |  Johnboy 23/07/07
  70.   Concern 12:41  |  jjvanka 23/07/07
  71.   The real reason 17:42  |  Ali 23/07/07
  72.   Irans presence in South America` 17:53  |  Bill 08/11/08
  73.   Irans presence in South America 18:18  |  billy 08/11/08
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