Venezuelan Plane Detained In Argentina Demonstrates Closer Partnership Between Caracas And Tehran

(New York, NY) – Earlier this month, a Venezuelan Boeing 747 cargo plane was transferred to U.S. authorities from Argentina after being detained there since 2022 on the grounds that it violated U.S. sanctions against Venezuela and Iran. The U.S. suspected one member of the crew’s ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), and the crew of Venezuelans and Iranians were initially detained and then later released.   

This latest incident illustrates the deep-rooted relationship between Tehran and Caracas, where the two countries defend each other’s interests on the international stage and have deep engagement across economic, internal security, defense, intelligence, and nuclear sectors. It also the latest indication of new Argentinian President Javier Milei’s willingness to unwind Iran’s influence in Latin America.

In a new blog post titled Argentina: The Airbridge Linking Tehran And Caracas, United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) researcher Jerry Canto calls on U.S. and Argentine authorities to dismantle the IRGC’s logistical network in the Western Hemisphere. 

“The latest developments exposing the IRGC’s deep ties to the Venezuelan regime should be a wake-up call for the Biden administration that Iran is gaining an even stronger foothold in Latin America. This poses multiple threats to U.S. national security, both in terms of funding Iran’s ongoing proxy terror activities against the U.S. and its allies in the Middle East and establishing a base of operation on America’s doorstep,” Canto said.

“With recent intelligence reports indicating a heightened risk of Iran’s proxy Hezbollah to attack U.S. interests in the Middle East, it’s incumbent upon our administration to also establish stronger military deterrence capabilities in our own hemisphere, particularly as Hezbollah operatives become more embedded in Venezuela’s economic and political apparatus.”

Additionally, UANI’s new report, Iran and Venezuela: Axis of Anti-Americanism, details the larger scheme of the two countries’ relations, their history, and what the U.S. should do about it. 

Since Hugo Chávez’s rise to power in 1999, Iran and Venezuela have maintained steady relations, and the two countries have served as crucial allies. At the crux of this relationship is an increasingly integrated economic partnership centered around Western sanctions-evasions tactics, with bilateral trade showing signs of recovery under President Raisi’s leadership. The current barter system involves an exchange of Iranian gasoline, condensate, and technical support in exchange for Venezuelan gold, fuel, oil, and heavy crude.

In terms of military cooperation, Iran transfers drones, weapons, and technical expertise to Venezuela while the two coordinate on high-level intelligence. Before his death in 2013, Chávez also admitted that Iran was helping Venezuela explore nuclear and uranium capabilities. 

UANI recommends that the U.S. apply greater pressure on maritime security providers that allow for the transfer of products between Iran and Venezuela. Further, the U.S. should establish a strong military presence to deter Iran-linked nuclear or weapons proliferation in Latin America. 

To read UANI’s full report, Iran and Venezuela: Axis of Anti-Americanism, please click here.

To read UANI’s report on Iran’s ideological expansion in Venezuela, please click here.