Ros-Lehtinen Promises Continued Action on Iranian Threat in Latin America
Statement
U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, made the following statement on Iran's growing influence and activity in the Western Hemisphere:
"The United States must always aggressively protect and defend our security interests, and that goes double when the threat is close to our borders. It is no secret that Iran is actively working with its anti-American cohorts in Latin America to threaten U.S. interests. Iran's activities in our region pose a serious threat to our security and must be faced head-on.
"The House Committee on Foreign Affairs has been investigating and will continue to investigate Iran's influence in the Western Hemisphere. The Committee has held classified briefings on these issues, and most recently held an open hearing examining the region's security challenges, including ties between Iran, Hezbollah, and Venezuela. I have introduced legislation addressing these critical security matters and have also requested the Department of State to launch investigations into Iran's deeply troubling partnerships with regional dictators such as Chavez, Morales, Correa, Ortega and the Castro brothers.
"A recent Univision documentary also illustrated the presence of Hezbollah in Latin America. And today we learned about a recent case involving a Lebanese national, Ayman Joumaa, who allegedly has ties to Hezbollah and made a profit by selling narcotics to the Zetas, a Mexican drug cartel.
"If we ignore this threat, it will only grow more severe. I will continue to urge the Administration to take a more active role in addressing the increasing security threat posed by Iran in the Western Hemisphere. In addition, the House Foreign Affairs Committee will keep monitoring the situation. I am planning to hold another hearing examining Iran's growing influence in our region early in the next Congress."
NOTE: Last week, the Spanish-language television network Univision aired a documentary, "La Amenaza Iraní" (The Iranian Threat), which detailed Iran's rising presence in Latin America.
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