Iran Building Rocket Launch Facilities In Venezuela?

The Jerusalem Post is passing along a report from the German newspaper Die Welt that Iran is in the process of building rocket launching facilities in Venezuela:

BERLIN – The Iranian government is moving forward with the construction of rocket launch bases in Venezuela, the German daily Die Welt wrote in its Thursday edition.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is Teheran’s most important South American ally.

Iran is building intermediate- range missile launch pads on the Paraguaná Peninsula, and engineers from a construction firm – Khatam al-Anbia – owned by the Revolutionary Guards visited Paraguaná in February. Amir al-Hadschisadeh, the head of the Guard’s Air Force, participated in the visit, according to the report. Die Welt cited information from “Western security insiders.”

The rocket bases are to include measures to prevent air attacks on Venezuela as well as commando and control stations.

The Iranian military involvement in the project extends to bunker, barracks and watch tower construction. Twenty-meter deep rocket silos are planned. The cost of the Venezuelan military project is being paid for with Iranian oil revenue. The Iranians paid in cash for the preliminary phase of the project and, the total cost is expected to amount to “dozens of millions” of dollars, Die Welt wrote.

The Paraguaná Peninsula is on the coast of Venezuela and is roughly 120 kilometers from America’s main South American partner, Columbia.

According to Die Welt, the clandestine agreement between Venezuela and Iran would mean the Chavez government would fire rocket at Iran’s enemies should the Islamic Republic face military strikes.

Here’s the original Die Welt report, in German, and according to the Google Translate text, it does pretty much say what the Jerusalem Post is reporting.

However, I am doubtful as to how serious this “project” actually is. If the Cuban Missile Crisis teaches the world anything, it should be that the United States simply isn’t going to tolerate that kind of threat that close to the homeland. Of course, that might mean taking action against Venezuela at some point, but I don’t know many Americans who are going to object to taking out Iranian missiles in a country headed by a man who hates us, should that ever take place. Additionally, the original article makes clear that this is something that’s merely in the “planning” stage at this point, meaning construction may never actually even begin. Nonetheless, one would hope someone in Washington is keeping an eye on such things.

 

FILED UNDER: Latin America, Middle East, World Politics, , , , , ,
Doug Mataconis
About Doug Mataconis
Doug Mataconis held a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010 and contributed a staggering 16,483 posts before his retirement in January 2020. He passed far too young in July 2021.

Comments

  1. Israel Murder 34 Young Americans in '67 says:

    Glad to see chavez and iran standing firm agaisnt the jewish zionist in washing and europe….These are a buch of rapist whose polulation cannot be sustained so they go inot third world countries and rape their resources….On a bettter note the end to the zionst cunts are about to occur.America is going to be destoryed by its own people(the fall of the babylon) the euozone will collapse and these rapist, murdering jewsih theives such as the rothschild and the other faggits who control the american economy and banking will be KILLED and sent to hell…even though they theif the american people money and give the illegal israel these asses will die….The babylon will fall when the Trumpets sound……Only then will the enslaved american people will be freed of these devil….The rothscild will be killed!

  2. jwest says:

    What, me worry?

    We’ve got a president with his own action figure. Someone with a lifelong record of making snap decisions under pressure. A guy who can not only send in the SEALs, but write like someone in the Merchant Marine.

    I’m sure the fleet is poised off the Venezuelan coast right now.

  3. Southern Hoosier says:

    Israel Murder 34 Young Americans in ’67 says:
    Tuesday, May 17, 2011 at 15:48

    Must be someone that got lost on their way to Stormfront

  4. Tylerh says:

    Given the competence of the two regimes in question, I say let them build it and send the Cartoon Network to cover the launches.

  5. JKB says:

    In regards to the rant above, you forgot: dogs and cats living together, the mark of the beast and return of the mother ship just to name a few. Step it up in the future, this site has standards and one is no shoddy end of time rants

    Well, nothing will happen until they go to install the things that go boom. They make a much nicer display.

    Plus, are Iran and Chavez idiots? We may have some troubles putting countries back together but if Afghanistan and Iraq taught anything to the world, it is we are supremo at taking one apart and making it home in time for little league.

  6. Wiley Stoner says:

    Obama is no Kennedy. On one level you have Jackie and Marilyn compared to Michelle. Then you have the military experience of PT-109 compared to an affirmative action law degree. Fortunately Palin will be President by the time this all comes to fruition. They will see how America deals with threats from a position of strength. I suggest an Ohio class sub off the coast of each of those nations. I would let them know the subs were stationed there and what they were armed with, 24 MIRVed ICBMs. Any one of which would be enough to cause regime change.

  7. Wiley Stoner says:

    Doug, at what point would you take it serious? Since your law practice must be failing for you to have enough time to opine on everything that you do. When did you become an expert in what the Iranians or what Hugo Chavez is up to? You need a job, dude. You have way too much time on your hands.

  8. Definitely true that “[not] many Americans [would] object to taking out Iranian missiles in a country headed by a man who hates us”.

    How-yevah…it’s not clear the (ahem) American in the Oval Office would see it the same way.

    d(^_^)b
    http://libertyatstake.blogspot.com/
    “Because the Only Good Progressive is a Failed Progressive”