experts speak of provocation to the US and risk of terrorism

Warships from the Iranian Navy will arrive in Brazil in the coming days. The passage through Rio de Janeiro, according to the Iranian news agency Tasnimis part of a mission being led to the Panama Canal.

Iranian Navy Commander Shahram Irani said plans were underway to send naval forces to the Panama Canal as Iranian troops moved closer to the shores of the Americas.

Experts say the Islamic country is looking to challenge the United States and strengthen ties with its Latin American allies.

The Panama Canal connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and is one of the two most strategic artificial canals in the world. Panama is about 3,000 km away from the southern border of the United States.

Iran’s goal “is to have a military presence in Latin America, so it is not surprising that its navy announces that it will conduct military exercises in the Panama Canal,” Joseph Humire, director of the Center for a Free and Secure Society, told the newspaper The Washington Free Beaconnoting that it is a “tremendous escalation”.

ideological question

“This is what Iran has been building in Latin America over the last 30 or 40 years, through the establishment of embassies, bilateral agreements and military exercises with allies such as Russia, China and Venezuela, in the Caribbean Sea”, he added.

Such a move would be a step for Tehran towards a growing relationship with its allies: countries run by dictators such as Venezuela and Nicaragua, reported the US news chain NewsNation.

“It is paramount to examine and act against the Iranian regime’s efforts to export its fundamentalist ideology not only in the Middle East, but also beyond,” Iranian-American political scientist Majid Rafizadeh told the newspaper. Arab News.

the ships

The Dena is a Mowj-class warship that joined the Iranian Navy in June 2021. The vessel is equipped with anti-ship cruise missiles, torpedoes and naval guns.

The other vessel is the Makran, a forward base ship weighing 121,000 tons. The oil tanker-turned-warship can carry five helicopters and is employed to provide logistical support to combat ships.