Bolivia recently reached an agreement with Iran as the country wants to obtain its drone technology. However, Argentina was none too pleased, demanding that Bolivia give more information about its deal with Iran.

Bolivia's defense minister, Edmundo Novillo Aguilar, stated on Tuesday that the country wanted Iran's drone technology "to protect its borders and combat smuggling and drug trafficking." The statement came after Argentina raised security concerns in the region.

According to the Associated Press, Minister Novillo dismissed Argentina's concerns, stating that they are "exaggerated" and came from an Argentine lawmaker "who, I understand, has Israeli origins." The Bolivian minister did not name who this Argentinian lawmaker is.

Buenos Aires sent a diplomatic note to the Bolivian embassy and asked for information "about the scope of the discussions and possible agreements reached" between Bolivia and Iran. However, it is not just Argentina that raised concerns, but also Bolivian opposition lawmakers as they only found out about the deal through the media.

However, Novillo downplayed these concerns and stated that these are merely an "exaggeration" and a "political show" as it had more to do with the upcoming Argentinian elections in October. The minister was the one who personally signed the deal with Iran alongside Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, on July 20.

Novillo also denied that he signed a memorandum of understanding with Iran and stated that he only signed an "act" with his counterpart in Tehran to identify common points of interest. However, the Iranian state news agency, IRNA, reported that the two countries have signed this "memorandum of understanding." Novillo explained that Bolivia was only interested in Iran's drones.

Argentina Has Difficult History With Iran

Argentina made its feelings about the Bolivia-Iran deal known, as Buenos Aires has a rather tense history with Tehran, which may have prompted the criticism from Bolivia's next-door neighbor.

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The National News pointed out that the strained ties between Argentina and Iran came from the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires. The attack killed 85 people, and the Argentinian government has since blamed Iran to be the one behind the attack. However, despite this accusation, Tehran has maintained that it was not responsible for the terrorist bombing on Argentinian soil.

For the last few years, Iran has been making its presence felt in Latin America with deals with Venezuela. The Persian Gulf country recently supplied Mohajer-6 attack drones to the latter, with Venezuela showing off its new unmanned aircraft during a military event.

Iran's Growing Influence in Latin America

The meeting between Bolivia and Iran came at the heels of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's tour of Latin America last month. In his 5-day trip, he visited Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba, Tehran's three allies in the region, according to Al Jazeera News.

Raisi blasted Washington in all three stops as he appeared alongside Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, and Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, all of whom are known critics of the United States.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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