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Now that Election Day is behind us, the president will need to allocate more time towards addressing overseas developments. One such development is Iran’s plan to smuggle ICBMs into Venezuela. Those missiles have the capability to reach the entire East Coast of the U.S., as well as parts of the Midwest and Southwest.
Before outlining these policy options, we must understand how Iran operates and estimate its capabilities. With its strategy in the Middle East, the Islamic Republic aims to push any future war away from its borders. It began by creating militia forces across the region and then established smuggling routes to arm those groups. This allows Iran to threaten its enemies through proxies without having to bear any responsibility or consequence. A classic example of this strategy is Hezbollah in Lebanon, on Israel’s northern border.
Additionally, Iran has cultivated close relationships with Latin American countries over the past few decades; mainly with Venezuela, Colombia and Bolivia. Most of Iran’s activities in Latin America are carried out through the IRGC and Hezbollah’s 910 unit. As the U.S. continues its crippling pressure on Iran, and with the expiration of the UN arms embargo, it has become clear that Iran would like to copy its Middle East model in Latin America by stationing ICBMs in America’s backyard—Venezuela.
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