“A plan pursued by the US and its allies to isolate Iran globally has reached a deadlock and they are concerned over cultural and trade relations as well as intellectual bonds between the Latin American countries and the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Ahmad Bakhshayesh-Ardestani said on Wednesday.
He said that a law by the US to counter Iran-Latin America relations is an act of frustration by Washington over the Islamic Republic’s soft power in the world.
The Iranian lawmaker said that the US has been infuriated by the expansion of the ties between Iran and Latin America but added that the US will fail in its bid to defeat Iran’s soft power by adopting laws.
“The US considers this region as its backyard; but people of Latin America abhor America’s hostile and dominant policies and are glad about the ties with the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he added.
On December 28, 2012, US President Barack Obama enacted the law to counter Iran’s growing relations with the Latin American countries. The so-called Countering Iran in Western Hemisphere Act requires the US Department of State to develop a strategy within 180 days to “address Iran’s growing hostile presence and activity” in Latin America.
Major Latin American nations have enhanced their diplomatic and trade ties with Iran in recent years. The promotion of all-out cooperation with Latin American countries has been among the top priorities of the Islamic Republic's foreign policy over the past few years.
Washington considers Latin America as its strategic backyard, a term used to refer to the USA's traditional areas of dominance.
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