In the past six months, Iran has been making an offensive on all fronts - on the commercial, military, diplomatic and information fronts - with Latin America as the scene, and without minding the cost. Tehran considers the region as one of the points of principal support, in order to overcome their growing international isolation which it is experiencing as a consequence of its nuclear program, and it has decided to act on all levels, multiplying its presence in a region of the world which until very recently remained outside its radius of action.
The iranian strategy is extensive, giving as much importance to the offices as to the streets. For example, a few weeks ago the inhabitans of Quito [Ecuador] found themselves surprised by the appearance of posters inviting to an act with zero tradition in their country: the comemoration of the anniversary of the death of ayatollah Khomeini. ‘An entire life dedicated to the people and the revolution’, proclaimed the announcements. During the act, celebrated on May 31 at the Auditorio del Consejo Nacional de Pichincha, in the presence of iranian diplomats, the iranian leader was compared to [freedom fighter Simon] Bolívar. The act was recorded by Hispan TV, the satellite tv channel which the iranian regime inaugurated in december, transmitting 24 hours each day news in spanish, and whose principal target group is the latin american public.