According to a report in the Washington Free Beacon, Iran wants to establish a presence in the Panama Canal as part of a military presence in the Western Hemisphere. The same State Department that just last week was fretting over the fonts its employees use is “monitoring” the situation.
Lest you think this is just a potential eventuality, this could happen as soon as next month. Two Iranian warships have been granted permission to dock in Brazil. One of them is outfitted with “anti-ship cruise missiles, torpedoes, and naval cannons.” A department spokesman told the Free Beacon, “We are aware of these claims by Iran’s navy. We continue to monitor Iran’s attempts to have a military presence in the Western Hemisphere.” The spokesman did not elaborate on the administration’s plans.
To complicate matters, Venezuela just signed an agreement with Iran, giving that country a bigger role in its energy industry. As the article points out, this complicates matters for the Biden administration, which will now have to deal with a growing Iranian presence in an area that has seen an increase in dictatorships that are interested in doing business with the country.
The Panama Canal is, of course, a major shipping artery and is also dangerously close to the United States when it comes to hostile military forces. This should be particularly worrisome since Iran has beefed up its terrorist activities even as the Biden administration has tried to bring the regime back to the table with the nuclear pact. And for added measure, Iran is threatening to shut down the Strait of Hormuz, which could make international shipping even more problematic.
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Lest you think this is just a potential eventuality, this could happen as soon as next month. Two Iranian warships have been granted permission to dock in Brazil. One of them is outfitted with “anti-ship cruise missiles, torpedoes, and naval cannons.” A department spokesman told the Free Beacon, “We are aware of these claims by Iran’s navy. We continue to monitor Iran’s attempts to have a military presence in the Western Hemisphere.” The spokesman did not elaborate on the administration’s plans.
To complicate matters, Venezuela just signed an agreement with Iran, giving that country a bigger role in its energy industry. As the article points out, this complicates matters for the Biden administration, which will now have to deal with a growing Iranian presence in an area that has seen an increase in dictatorships that are interested in doing business with the country.
The Panama Canal is, of course, a major shipping artery and is also dangerously close to the United States when it comes to hostile military forces. This should be particularly worrisome since Iran has beefed up its terrorist activities even as the Biden administration has tried to bring the regime back to the table with the nuclear pact. And for added measure, Iran is threatening to shut down the Strait of Hormuz, which could make international shipping even more problematic.
