Claims of Venezuela's support to Iran for attacks on the US

Iran is likely to use Latin America, where with the Venezuelan support it has set up a relevant economic and diplomatic network, as a launch pad for an attack on the United States, experts and Republican Representatives warned during a hearing at the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee of the Foreign Affairs Committee, US House of Representatives.

"Iran has the desire to attack, it is expanding its capacity to threaten the United States," cautioned Norman A. Bailey, Cuba and Venezuela mission manager for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Efe quoted.

His testimony was given in a hearing entitled: "Ahmadinejad's Tour of Tyrants and Iran's Agenda in the Western Hemisphere."

For Bailey, the dangerous part is Iran's partnership, primarily with Venezuela, to spread over Latin America the view that "the United States is the real threat."

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made a tour in January of Venezuela, Nicaragua, Ecuador and Cuba. On Tuesday, January 31, US Intelligence Chief James Clapper testified in a hearing at the US Senate that some Iranian leaders are nowadays "willing" to launch an attack on the United States.

He pointed out that Iran, with the help of the government presided over by Hugo Chávez, has set up an economic and diplomatic network which, among others, makes it easier for Iranian officials "to move at leisure" around the Western Hemisphere bearing Venezuelan identity documents.