"Piercing the Eyes of the United States", Depth | Iranian President's Visit to Latin America's "Anti American Three Countries": Conducting Proactive Diplomatic Visits to Latin America's "Anti American Three Countries" | Iranian President|

This week, Iranian President Lech entered the United States' backyard, sparking public attention.

This is Lech's first trip to Latin America during his tenure, with stops in Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba.

The three countries visited are not far apart, and the commonality seems to outweigh the individuality: they are all governed by left-wing governments, have been suppressed by US sanctions, and have shown an unyielding and tough stance.

The public opinion believes that Lech's visit is of great significance. It will not only strengthen practical cooperation with Latin American countries, but also demonstrate to the outside world that Iran's influence is not limited to the Middle East, and it also has friends in the western hemisphere.

Shared aspirations

This is Lech's 12th overseas visit since taking office in 2021, taking place against the backdrop of Iran's reconciliation with regional countries and the continuation of tensions with the United States.

Although Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba are far from Iran by the ocean, their relations are not distant.

At the beginning of this century, Iranian President Ahmadinejad vigorously strengthened relations with left-wing governments in Latin America and held leadership talks with multiple countries in Bolivia, Brazil, Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua.

During the Ruhani administration, Iran's attention to Latin America slightly declined. But since the Lai Xi government took office, the relationship between the two sides has continued to heat up.

In addition to traditional friendship, the visiting three countries also have a sense of closeness with Iran: they have been suppressed and sanctioned by the United States.

Cuba has been under economic, commercial, and financial blockade by the United States since 1962 and has yet to be lifted. The local people are facing a shortage of resources and living a difficult life.

Venezuela has suffered over 900 Western sanctions since 2015, 60% of which came from the United States, resulting in financial losses of over 200 billion US dollars. The oil industry has been the first to suffer, and the economy is facing serious difficulties.

Nicaragua has been sanctioned by the United States for alleged human rights violations since the beginning of last year, and in October of last year, it became the target of additional US sanctions due to its proximity to Russia.

Last June, when the United States hosted the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles, the three countries were turned away, which happened to be Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua.

As a result, Lai Xi was invited to visit Latin America for the first time, and the choice of three stops is thought-provoking.

"During the transition of the world towards a multipolar era, the above-mentioned three countries stand out particularly in the list of governments opposing US hegemony, opposing unilateralism, and pursuing independence and autonomy." Foreign media commented.

Tang Zhichao, Director of the Center for Middle East Development and Governance at the Institute of West Asia and Africa, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, believes that the visit of the Iranian President to the aforementioned three countries is mainly based on political and economic considerations.

Politically, as Iran has said, all three countries are like-minded and important partners for Iran to respond to US sanctions and break the isolation between the US and the West. At the same time, they are all in the backyard of the United States, and Iran has been actively promoting relations with countries in the region as part of its diplomatic struggle with the United States. In addition, strengthening relations with developing countries and pursuing a multipolar world order can also be seen as a continuation of the foreign policy during the Ahmadinejad administration.

Economically, pragmatic cooperation is also an important pillar for Iran to develop bilateral relations with the three countries, especially in situations where all countries are subject to US sanctions and domestic development is facing varying degrees of difficulties.

Li Weijian, a researcher at the Institute of Foreign Policy at the Shanghai Institute of International Studies, believes that compared to economic needs, Iran's visit here is more of a political consideration.

During his early foreign policy speeches, Lai Xi set the goal of first building good relations with neighboring countries, then expanding his circle of friends and breaking the isolation and blockade imposed by the United States. Now, Iran's relations with neighboring countries have eased, and it is engaging in proactive diplomacy to expand its circle of friends to the United States' backyard. This move has significant symbolic significance, indicating that Iran is further breaking through US sanctions and improving its strategic environment. Throughout the years, the three Latin American countries and Iran have been in the same boat, supporting each other during difficult times. Next, both sides will carry out more specific cooperation.

Open your arms

From the perspective of the three Latin American countries, this is a rare visit by the Iranian President after many years.

Nicaragua last received the President of Iran in 2007, while Cuba and Venezuela received him in September 2016.

In other words, since the United States announced its withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal in 2017, there have been few traces of an Iranian president in the US backyard.

Nowadays, Lai Xi's high-profile visit is accompanied by a large high-level delegation, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Defense, Minister of Oil, Minister of Health, other senior officials, as well as individuals from the economic and technological sectors.

The public opinion believes that the three Latin American countries open their arms to welcome the President of Iran. Although each of the three countries has its own focus, deepening cooperation in the fields of economy, especially energy, can be said to be a common aspiration. Both sides will sign multiple bilateral agreements to increase trade and cooperation to bypass US sanctions.

Let's first look at Venezuela, which has a long relationship and close cooperation with Iran, and is also considered the most important first stop of Lech's visit.

The friendly exchanges between the two countries began in 1960, both being founding members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.

At the beginning of the 21st century, during the reigns of Ahmadinejad and Chavez, the high-level exchanges between the two countries were close. Ahmadinejad has visited Venezuela four times, and Chavez referred to him as an "anti imperialist warrior". The International Development Bank and other institutions allow Iranians to invest locally, laying the foundation for Iran's entry into the banking system of South American countries.

In recent years, cooperation between the two countries has deepened and mutual support has emerged. In 2020, Venezuela experienced a shortage of gasoline and Iran dispatched multiple oil tankers to assist. Last year, during President Maduro's visit to Iraq, the two sides signed a 20-year cooperation agreement, covering multiple fields such as energy, agriculture, education, health, technology, and mining.

Through this Lai Xi return visit, the two countries signed 25 new bilateral cooperation agreements on the 12th, covering fields such as oil, natural gas, chemicals, and mining. Lai Xi hopes that in the next stage, the bilateral trade volume can increase from 3 billion US dollars to 20 billion US dollars.

Looking at the second stop Nicaragua, its relationship with Iran significantly improved in the early 2000s.

In January 2007, then President Ahmadinejad visited Nepal and mentioned that "the two countries share common interests, common goals, and common enemies.". Nicaraguan leaders refer to Iran as "brothers". Shortly thereafter, Iran and Venezuela pledged to invest $350 million in Nicaragua to build the country's deep-water seaport, as well as highways, railways, and pipelines.

Since last year, senior delegations from the two governments have visited each other frequently and signed a series of agreements related to agriculture, oil, technology transfer, and other fields. During this visit, both sides will sign cooperation documents to strengthen trade relations.

Cuba is the final stop of this visit. The relationship between Iran and Cuba can be traced back to 1979, when the Castro government supported the Islamic Revolution in Iran. Since then, the relationship between the two countries has been steadily developing.

During the Khatami administration, Iran provided an annual credit line of 20 million euros to Cuba, which increased to 200 million euros by the time of Ahmadinejad.

Just last month, a Cuban delegation visited Iran and the two countries signed 13 agreements in fields such as agriculture, banking, biotechnology, healthcare, sports, and trade. Iranian officials say that the two countries have "unlimited potential" in expanding relations.

Analysts believe that in recent years, the political direction in Latin America has once again turned left, with local people's disillusionment with the United States intensifying and anti liberal tendencies rising. This new pink wave also provides ample opportunities for Iran to expand its circle of friends beyond its traditional allies.

Choose to ignore

Leahy's walk in the backyard of the United States has also caused ripples in Washington.

US politicians warn that Tehran is constantly expanding its influence in the Western Hemisphere.

Some American scholars also mock that Iran is "poking America's eyes". It proved through its actions that it can maintain a large military presence in the Persian Gulf and also play in the American backyard.

However, compared to the Bush and Trump administrations, the Biden administration seems to be less concerned about Iran's movements and less enthusiastic about the hype of some Republicans.

According to American media, the Biden administration's best response to Lai Xi's visit is to choose to ignore it. Because Iran has limited resources to invest in Latin America.

"Overall, Iran's influence in Latin America is still limited and does not pose a substantial threat to the United States. The United States does not attach great importance to the development of bilateral relations, but it is not without importance," Tang Zhichao pointed out.

Firstly, in the view of the United States, the series of cooperation between Iran and Venezuela in recent years has posed certain challenges to US sanctions. Therefore, the United States often sends warships to intercept oil tankers from both countries.

Secondly, currently, there are more left-wing governments in Latin American countries, and the United States does not want a broader anti American alliance led by Iran to appear in the backyard.

"The United States' intention to respond in a low-key manner reflects its helplessness." Li Weijian observed changes in the United States' attitude.

In the past few years, it has imposed full sanctions on Iran. The international community is under pressure from the United States and also has concerns about engaging with Iran. Iran is in a difficult situation.

But now, the United States has other concerns and is unable to meet their expectations. The efficiency of sanctions has decreased, and the hype about the threat to Iran has decreased. Iran has relaxed its restrictions, and other countries have also begun normal cooperation with Iran. This proves that the overall influence and control of the United States are declining, and also reflects a development trend that the unipolar hegemonic order of the United States is declining, and the unilateralist behavior relying on the threat of force is becoming increasingly ineffective.

Looking ahead, analysts have mentioned several areas of concern regarding the regional situation.

"Is it possible for all parties to the Iran nuclear agreement to reach a temporary agreement to return in a small and limited form? What is the development trend of regional countries seeking strategic autonomy? How can the United States make a new round of layout in response to a series of changes in the Middle East to ensure its influence?" Tang Zhichao pointed out.

Li Weijian believes that the possibility of the Biden administration re promoting the resolution of the Iran nuclear issue is relatively small because of its limited energy and resources. The greatest possibility is to change its stance appropriately and let the Iran nuclear issue be put on hold.

"But the Iran nuclear issue cannot be indefinitely put on hold, and there will still be a result in the end," Li Weijian said, because the United States wants to restore its influence in the Middle East, the Iran nuclear issue and the Palestinian Israeli issue are both important levers. At the beginning of taking office, Biden proposed a return to the agreement, but due to domestic political factors, he was unable to advance this issue.