Will The Venezuelan - Iran Alliance Last?

Chávez’s Dangerous Liaisons with Tehran -- Roger F. Noriega, New American

U.S. diplomats have been silent on these growing alliances. However, fresh revelations about Chávez’s alliance with Iran demonstrate what he is capable of doing when he is not provoked.

Hugo Chávez admitted on June 13 that Venezuela is manufacturing Iranian drones and that Iran has built several explosives and chemical facilities in his country. However, Chávez is trying to throw international observers off his scent by acknowledging an unmanned aerial vehicle program for “peaceful purposes.” What he did not disclose are the many other troubling aspects of the extensive military cooperation between the two rabidly anti-U.S. regimes—not the least of which is that Venezuela secretly shipped an F-16 to Iran in 2006 that could be used today to test the air defenses around Teheran’s illicit nuclear facilities.

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My Comment: Many are not confident that this "alliance" will last.

Iran To Build Military Drones For Venezuela

Southern Exposure: Iran, Terror Groups Setting Up Shop In South America -- US News And World Report

Iran and Middle East-based extremist groups are stepping up their activities in South America, aiming to make friends and score cash, a senior U.S. military official says.

Tehran intends to build military drones in Washington's backyard for the Venezuelan military led by Hugo Chavez, U.S. Southern Command chief Gen. Douglas Fraser told reporters Wednesday during a breakfast meeting in Washington.

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My Comment: The development and spread of drone technology to customers around the world does not surprise me, but there was one sentence in this report that caught my eye ....

.... U.S. officials do know production of the Iranian drones has been delayed due a recent fire at the manufacturing plant, Fraser said.

Another fire at an Iranian military installation .... hmmm .... it makes you wonder on what is really happening in Iran.

Iran's Ahmadinejad On A 4 Nation Trip In Latin America

Iran's Ahmadinejad Seeks Support In Latin America -- Wall Street Journal

Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad began a four-day tour of Latin America on Sunday, hoping that meetings with anti-American leaders like Venezuela's Hugo Chávez can provide some moral support at a time when Iran faces growing international isolation over its nuclear program.

The Iranian leader was arrived late Sunday in Venezuela, before heading to Nicaragua on Tuesday to attend former Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega's inauguration for his second term as president. Mr. Admadinejad ends the visit with brief stops in Communist Cuba and Ecuador.

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More News On Iranian President Ahmadinejad's 4 Nation Visit In Latin America

Iran’s Ahmadinejad begins 4-nation Latin American tour in Venezuela, seeking allies’ support -- Washington Post/AP
Iran looks for friends in Latin America -- Washington Post
Iranian leader seeks support in Latin America -- RIA Novosti
Iran's Ahmadinejad Arrives in Venezuela to Begin Latin American Tour -- FOX News/AP
Ahmadinejad Woos Chavez-Led Allies as He Hunts Influence in U.S. Backyard -- Bloomberg
Iranian President Visits Venezuelan Ally -- Radio Free Europe
Venezuela's Chavez welcomes ally Ahmadinejad -- Reuters
Iranian president starts Latin American tour -- Financial Times

Is Iran Building A Missile Base In Venezuela?

Image: Google Maps

Is This The Venezuelan Missile Base Being Built With Iranian Oil Profits? -- Business Insider

This unconfirmed report goes back a few months but is simply more interesting given the mounting tensions with Iran.

An article from the May 2011 Jerusalem Post reports Tehran is building intermediate-range missile launch pads at a base on the Paraguaná Peninsula in Venezuela (via Die Welt).

The J-Post says the Revolutionary Guard-controlled engineering group Khatam al-Anbia is helping build the site said, that will include missile defenses, special forces units, and control stations.

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Update: Iran building missile base in Venezuela -- Lee DeCovnick, American Thinker

Previous Post: Is Iran Building Rocket Bases In Venezuela?

My Comment: I guess this will be on the itinerary when he visits Venezuela.

Is Venezuela And Iran Plotting Cyberattacks Against The U.S.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

U.S. Probing Alleged Cyberattack Plot By Venezuela, Iran -- Washington Times

U.S. officials are investigating reports that Iranian and Venezuelan diplomats in Mexico were involved in planned cyberattacks against U.S. targets, including nuclear power plants.

Allegations about the cyberplot were aired last week in a documentary on the Spanish-language TV network Univision, which included secretly recorded footage of Iranian and Venezuelan diplomats being briefed on the planned attacks and promising to pass information to their governments.

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My Comment: A disturbing development .... because this can only escalate to more intense attacks and U.S. counter-attacks.

Israeli Document: Venezuela Sends Uranium To Iran

Photo: Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, left, and Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez Meet at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas. Photo FOX/AP.

From Seattle PI/AP:

JERUSALEM -- Venezuela and Bolivia are supplying Iran with uranium for its nuclear program, according to a secret Israeli government report obtained Monday by The Associated Press.

The two South American countries are known to have close ties with Iran, but this is the first allegation that they are involved in the development of Iran's nuclear program, considered a strategic threat by Israel.

"There are reports that Venezuela supplies Iran with uranium for its nuclear program," the Foreign Ministry document states, referring to previous Israeli intelligence conclusions. It added, "Bolivia also supplies uranium to Iran."

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My Comment: If true .... we now know why Iran has always been chummy to both Venezuela and Bolivia.