by Anna Mahjar-Barducci
September 21, 2011 at 4:45 am
September 21, 2011 at 4:45 am
The Arab uprisings are changing the geopolitical map. When old allies might become new enemies, a country like Iran has a lot to lose. Teheran is now concerned about becoming even more isolated -- and for good reasons.
Qatar, for one, which used to be aligned with Iran, has switched sides. The small Emirate that owns the powerful satellite television channel Al-Jazeera now prefers to side with the rebels, and is supporting the uprising in Syria -- another move away from Iran. If the Syrian uprising topples the regime, Damascus will probably not continue good relations with Teheran, a choice that will also have political repercussions in Lebanon.
Teheran is noiw desperately seeking new allies in the Arab world; the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on his way to New York stopped for few hours in Mauritania, where he met with his counterpart, Mohamed Quld Abdel Aziz. The friendship between the two countries began in 2008, when Mauritania broke its relations with Israel. The Mauritanian President, however, is also facing discontent inside his country, so Iran cannot really count on this ally, either.
Iran's only chance, then, seems to be South America, where the mullahs' regime has found fertile ground on which to spread its anti-American propaganda. Since the start of the Arab revolutions, several Iranian high level have officials travelled to Latin America, especially Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela and Cuba. Recently, The Iranian Vice President, Mohammed Reza Rahimi, went on an official visit to Ecuador and Cuba accompanied by Iran's Economic Minister, Hosseini; Iran's Minister of Industry, Mines and Trade, Mehdi Ghazanfari; the Energy Minister, Majid Namjou, and a number of other Iranian officials.
Iran apparently looked on visit as an opportunity to strengthen further diplomatic and economic ties that will help Teheran create new businesses or expand old ones.. Several countries in Latin America have expressed a willingness to circumvent the UN's sanctions against Iran and to strengthen Iran's foothold in the region.
The Iranian VP's visit to South America anticipates one by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Venezuela, which will take place after a meeting at the United Nations General Assembly to "strive to reform world management." The Iranian leader apparently also wants to take advantage of the week that will follow the UN bid for a Palestinian State to visit his friend, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. The international media will be busy covering Palestinian issues at the UN, so that Ahmadinejad's trip to Venezuela will not presumably attract the the press. Ahmadinejad described the relations between Tehran and Caracas as special and said "Iran is determined to develop more serious cooperation with Venezuela, and it will obviate the obstacles in its way." In August, media reported that Chavez was helping Iran to acquire Russian surface-to-air missiles S-300, one of the most potent anti-aircraft missile systems.
In the meantime, Iran has started its "invasion" of Latin America, launching a TV channel in Spanish, HispanTV. that will be available in the region at the end of 2011. The channel will be a propaganda tool against the West, bringing Iran's political and religious perspective to Latin America. Teheran also intends to establish offices there of IRNA, Iran's national news agency, to compete with Western agencies and to influence the public opinion. Iran intends not to remain isolated, but to conquer instead the hearts and the spirits in the US's backyard. Read the rest on:
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