Iran, Russia and Venezuela: converging interests

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Traditionally, the presence of Iran, and more specifically of Hezbollah assets in several Southern Cone countries, has been associated with terrorist sleeper cells and with financing and money laundering activities. Such activity was well known in the so-called "Triple Border" between Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay, a place that has all the characteristics for the development of all kinds of illicit activities. The attacks against the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires in 1992 and against the AMIA in the same city two years later are still fresh in everyone's memory. Both actions involved pro-Iranian militia.

In recent times, however, this presence has adapted to a globalised environment in which cognitive dominance has taken on vital importance, and it cannot be forgotten that this region is a perfect platform to use as a springboard to Europe, taking advantage of close ties with Spain.

Iran's ability to operate in this domain, spreading the narrative that the US is an imperialist force responsible for violence and instability in Latin America, is beyond doubt, and has been increasing in recent years. The choice of Latin America is not a trivial one, as the animosity that exists in certain layers of society, especially in some very specific countries, towards anything to do with the US, makes them the perfect breeding ground for the penetration of their force-ideas and the construction of their campaigns. These ongoing, multi-faceted disinformation campaigns, consisting of carefully crafted messages, are organised, coordinated and executed through Russian and Venezuelan state media companies, as well as thousands of allied accounts on the Internet and social media. Taken together, it is clear that these efforts pose a strategic challenge to US and European interests, as well as a threat to countries in the region that may follow in the footsteps of Venezuela or Nicaragua, for example.

As part of its regional strategy, Iran has created a steadily growing network of echo chambers, the foundations of which are Iran's own state-owned satellite platform Hispan TV, Telesur, the radical populist Bolivarian network based in Venezuela, and RT en español, the Russian state news network. These platforms operate in perfect coordination with social media accounts on platforms such as Twitter (now X), Facebook, Instagram and Telegram chat groups to coordinate the different narratives being pushed from small platforms to mainstream media content.

Once the selected messages are circulating, a small group of well-funded 'super-disseminators' and opinion groups are responsible for disseminating these to wider intellectual communities. Analysis of data published by Opensource has identified how these individuals or entities act as "cultural translators" adapting the narrative to different scenarios, using what are called "Revolutionary Platforms". These interlocutors, who are crucial in achieving mass dissemination of messages, occupy positions at different levels in a wide network of actors. Unfortunately, Opensource once identified a former high-ranking Spanish government official as part of this network.

The Iranian-backed network described so far draws on, and uses as a unifying element, the strong anti-American sentiment that dominates certain sectors of South American society. This helps to provide a narrative focused on 'US oppression' and the illegitimate exploitation of natural resources, while presenting Iran as a key ideological ally of the revolutionary and populist movements that have been emerging in the continent, with the radical populist Bolivarian Revolution as a reference point. It is very interesting to note the coincidence of messages with those disseminated by Russian media accounts and platforms, as it indicates that the convergence between the narrative of the Iranian Revolution and the Bolivarian Revolution share objectives with Russia, something that, at this point, and given the current geopolitical situation, should not surprise anyone. For different reasons, both Russia and Iran have the US as a point of reference among their enemies, and cooperation between the two nations, for example in the case of the Ukrainian war, is evidence of their collaboration. However, not everyone is aware of what is happening on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. Contemporary warfare has taken new forms and, as far as the aforementioned cognitive dominance is concerned, the main front may not be in Eastern Europe.

Strangely enough, there is no comparable US counter-narrative or sustained effort to counter Iran's campaigns, which has a negative impact on US political, military and economic influence in Latin America.

Iran's occupation of the news space in South America has followed an increasing pattern in terms of effectiveness and sophistication, with communication vectors moving from almost marginal consideration to become platforms of real media relevance. The main message is far removed from Islamic religious connotations, as the target audience is far removed from that position. However, the main thrust is still a call for a global alliance against the United States and, by extension or assimilation, against the West alongside Iran and Russia.

Two main storylines have been identified. The first consists of basic stories that promote goodwill, sympathy, cultural affinity and the search for common ground. These are stories about Muslims and/or Iranians that spread the spirit of collaboration by showing, for example, the participation of Iranian diplomatic delegations in the region in local cultural events, telling stories of the tragedy of war in Yemen and Syria, seeking parallels with events in various parts of South America, and stories of heroism as an example of overcoming adversity in such circumstances. The aim is to bring the Persian country closer to Latin America and eliminate the feeling of an exotic and distant nation.

Another way of trying to show common ground is to appeal to religious sentiment, which is very important in Latin American society. Along these lines, Hispan TV and other Iranian media emphasise the Shi'a Muslim belief in the figure of Jesus and their recognition of Mary's virginity, both central tenets of the Roman Catholic and Evangelical religions dominant in the area. In this way they try to bridge the cultural gap between Iran and South America.

The second line of argument is armed with political narratives revolving around US imperialism, Israeli abuses in both the Middle East and the rest of the world, exacerbating the cliché of Jewish control of the economy, blaming them for much of their countries' economic problems, and holding the US responsible for anti-revolutionary actions against both the Iranian and Bolivarian Revolutions. Once again, the aim is to offer common ground that leads the target audience to consider that the Iranian, Venezuelan, Bolivarian or Nicaraguan people are under permanent attack by the US, and that they must unite to fight it. These narratives also express the need for a radical change in the world order, and portray the US as the main obstacle to that change. It is about "selling" the new multipolar world order that we have heard so often from Putin's lips over the past three years. In each case, the narrative is disseminated by constantly pumping out stories that attract small but growing echo chambers that in turn influence other circles that create new followers and establish like-minded networks on media platforms or social networks.

These activities in the cognitive domain are complemented by a remarkable increase in commercial and advocacy relationships. Arguably, there is a main triangle with Russia, Iran and Venezuela at its apex. All three countries are oil producers, which gives them unusual strength, and all three are subject to sanctions, which forces them to seek alternative ways around them. But the common goal, the main nexus, is the need to undermine the unity of the West as the most effective weapon in their individual interests. And that unity can only be undermined from within. Thus, by achieving this identification between the South American, Iranian and Russian people, a common enemy consciousness is created, and it is this that is exported by adapting the narratives to the point with the most historical, social and even emotional links to Latin America. In this way, their messages have found their way into the West. Without knowing it, or being aware of it at times, Spain has become the point of entry for Russian and Iranian campaigns aimed at creating sufficient social division to provoke movements that put pressure on the different governments and prevent, through this pressure, the necessary union to take decisions contrary to their interests.

We are in the midst of a war; for the moment it is not a bloody one, but it is an extremely important one, and what happens in other areas will depend to a large extent on the outcome.