In a new LIGNET interview, Jon B. Perdue discusses the close collaboration between Iran and Venezuela to promote Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s radical left agenda and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s radical Islam. These nations have been collaborating since 2007 to unite against the United States. Iranian-Venezuelan “sleeper cells” could engage in activity against U.S. interests this fall, according to Perdue.
Jon B. Perdue is the author of The War of All the People: The Nexus of Latin American Radicalism and Middle Eastern Terrorism, published by Potomac Books in August 2012.
This book is available HERE on Amazon.com. Perdue serves as an instructor and lecturer on peripheral asymmetric warfare, strategic communication and counterterrorism strategy. He served as an international election observer in the historic elections in Honduras in 2009. He is also director of research for the Center for a Secure Free Society.
Watch the exclusive interview here.
Perdue told Newsmax.TV correspondent Kathleen Walter that Chavez and Ahmadinejad met in about October 2007 to form a global progressive front that would marry the radical left and revolutionary Islam. After reaching this agreement, Ahmadinejad proceeded to tour Latin America to strike up relationships with Venezuelan allies like Ecuador and Nicaragua to promote this new alliance, the ultimate purpose of which was to counter U.S. global dominance.
Perdue said Ecuador is currently Iran’s most useful ally since the country uses the U.S. dollar, making it easy for terrorist groups aligned with Venezuela and Iran to launder money. This includes FARC, a Colombian terrorist group. Perdue noted that clear links have been established between FARC and Venezuela.
Part of the Iran-Venezuela nexus has been the penetration of Iranian agents and members of Hezbollah, Iran’s Lebanese terrorist proxy, into Latin America. Perdue said that he worries that Hezbollah proxy cells could be activated to attack “soft targets” in the region – including possibly across the U.S. border into Texas or Arizona – in response to several events that will occur later this year, including the U.S. presidential election, the Venezuelan presidential election and a possible Israeli airstrike against Iran.
Perdue gives credence to reports of mysterious direct flights between Iran and Venezuela which reportedly arrive in Venezuela without manifests and do not go through customs. He believes these flights are still going on and notes that Chavez named several of his cronies to jobs in the transportation ministry, giving them control over customs and issuing passports.
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