Angel Valdes | January 14, 2023
The Daily Mail newspaper echoed the information from Iran where a senior official of the army of that country in a press conference referred to having a presence in the Panama Canal at the end of 2023.
Iran’s Navy Commander, Rear Admiral Shahram Irani, announced the plans on Wednesday, saying they would come to fruition by the end of this year. A presence in the Panama Canal would mark the first time Iran’s navy has sailed in the Pacific Ocean.
The move is just the latest in Iran’s ongoing campaign to deepen its ties in Latin America, which recently included treaties signed with anti-American Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, Nicaragua and increasingly friendly relations with Bolivia.
Experts say that Iran’s activities are undoubtedly intended to challenge the US and demonstrate the ability to build a military presence within reach of US soil. It comes amid escalating tensions between the two nations.
During a ceremony in Iran’s capital, Admiral Irani said the Navy’s plans for the Panama Canal were aimed at “strengthening our maritime presence in international waters.”
“The army’s navy has been present in all the strategic straits in the world to date, and we have not been present in only two straits, and we will be present in one of these straits this year,” Irani said. ‘We plan to be present in the Panama Canal’
“Today we have to strengthen our maritime presence in international waters and today we can say that there is no scientific barrier to growing in this field,” he added, according to media controlled by the Iranian state.
The Panama Canal connects the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean. It is located about 2,500 miles from the southernmost border of the United States.
Information: Daily Mail US
