Bolivia announced its entry into a security agreement with Iran on July 25, sparking immediate backlash and concern throughout the region. A former high-ranking member of Bolivia’s government says there’s much more at work than the official story, which claims that the agreement will help “fight against smuggling” near the country’s borders.
The defense agreement, which was reportedly signed on July 20, centers around an exchange of technology and equipment to support Bolivia’s armed forces in “the control and surveillance of the border areas through which illegal activity enters ... as well as in the fight against drug trafficking, particularly in eastern Bolivia through tributaries that connect with the neighboring country of Brazil, as well as in the south of the country, with Paraguay and Argentina.”
Areas of security cooperation and hardware purchases outlined include military drones, surveillance equipment, boats, nanotechnology, and cyber security.
Argentina’s minister of foreign relations, Santiago Cafiero, was swift to respond and requested information on the “scope” of the agreement from Bolivian Foreign Minister Rogelio Mayta from the country’s embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Mr. Novillo stressed during a press conference the importance of drones and cyber security for Bolivia’s armed forces.
“Iran showed us the development of drones because we told them that we have mountainous and high geography. In this understanding, they answered that this technology could satisfy the stated requirement,” he said.
While the agreement looks reasonable on the surface, not everyone is buying the official story. Much of that concern stems from Iran’s history of cooperation with actors in Latin America who work against Western security interests.
“The wording is misleading, and Bolivia does not need that kind of cooperation,” former Bolivian official Carlos Sánchez Berzain told The Epoch Times.
Mr. Berzain is the director of the Interamerican Institute for Democracy and has held multiple government positions in Bolivia, including minister of defense and minister of the presidency.
Circling Back
When examining Bolivia’s past attempts at political alignment with Iran, the sense of unease being expressed by critics over the agreement becomes more clear.In 2008, then-recently elected President Evo Morales proudly announced that Bolivia would expand its relations with Iran during a televised conference alongside then-Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
“No country and no force can affect our relationship with revolutionary Iran,” Mr. Morales said, noting that stronger ties between the nations would help fight against “imperialism.”
By this, he meant fighting against the United States, which Mr. Morales referred to throughout his presidency as “the empire.”
At the time, the former Bolivian president’s declaration sent shockwaves through the international community. It was followed by a joint attempt at a nuclear power plant project in the Andean city of El Alto that was initially announced in 2010 and then again in 2015.
“The reactions and concerns are valid. We must remember the context in which this happens,” Mr. Berzain said, describing Bolivia under Mr. Arce as one of the 21st century’s “satellite dictatorships of socialism.”
From Mr. Berzain’s perspective, Bolivia’s entry into a formal security agreement with Iran doesn’t bode well for his home country.
“Two very serious events have happened in a matter of days for Bolivian sovereignty and international peace and security ... the delivery of Bolivia’s lithium resources to Russia and China and the signing of Bolivia’s military agreement with Iran, which occurred after the visit of [former President] Evo Morales and Luis Arce to Cuba,” he said.
During the first week of July, reports emerged that Mr. Arce and Mr. Morales traveled to Havana at the behest of Cuba’s communist regime. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel reportedly hoped to settle a bitter ongoing political dispute between Bolivia’s current and former head of state before the 2025 presidential election.
For nearly two years, the politicians have butted heads over matters of governance, creating division and unrest within the ranks of Bolivia’s current ruling political party: the Movement for Socialism.
Foot in the Door
When it comes to curtailing trafficking along Bolivia’s vastly unpatrolled borders, the country needs all the help it can get.The land-locked South American nation has some of the most remote, challenging terrain borders, which offers a wealth of opportunities for narcotics, weapons, and illegal vehicle smuggling. This challenge presents a golden opportunity for Iran.
“Iran, no surprise, is looking for opportunities to market their drones throughout the region,” Evan Ellis, a regional analyst and Latin America research professor, told The Epoch Times.
Mr. Ellis noted that Iran’s advancements in the technology and medical sectors make it an ideal candidate for providing the kind of equipment and training that Mr. Novillo described. He noted that Iran has familiarity with Russian defense technology, an added bonus for Bolivia’s regime since some of its current security equipment comes from Moscow.
“In general, it makes sense. But it certainly creates a number of different collaboration opportunities for Iran and Bolivia,” Mr. Ellis said.
Terrorism Threat
One of the potential consequences of Bolivia’s expanded relationship with Iran is a broader reach for the state-backed terrorist organization Hezbollah. The group has operated in isolated pockets throughout Latin America for decades, particularly near the triple border of Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay.“Iran is a theocratic dictatorship that threatens world peace and security, and any agreement with that regime is an agreement with organized crime,” Mr. Berzain said. “I insist that the text of the agreement falsifies the true purpose of making Bolivia an official base of threat to international peace and security.”
