Argentina, Bolivian Opposition Demand Explanation for Bolivia-Iran Pact

The Argentine government and the Bolivian opposition confronted Bolivia on Monday about a defense agreement signed between Bolivia and Iran last week.

Argentina and the Bolivian opposition are concerned that the agreement, the content of which has not been made public, will allow Tehran to exert more influence in South America. The issue is especially sensitive for Argentina, which has long accused Iran of being behind the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires that killed 85. Iran denies any involvement in the attack.

In a letter sent to the Bolivian Embassy in Buenos Aires on Monday, Argentina’s Foreign Ministry requested “information about the scope of the discussions and possible agreements reached” during the Bolivian defense minister’s official visit to Iran, according to an anonymous Argentine Foreign Ministry official who spoke to the Associated Press.

That same day, members of the Bolivian opposition submitted a request to the government demanding information on the agreement. Bolivia is a pacifist country according to its constitution, raising questions about its entry into a pact with Iran.

A report from the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War theorized that Bolivia may have agreed to buy drones from Iran, potentially for use in curbing drug smuggling.

In a news release, DAIA, an organization representing Argentina’s Jewish community, called on the Argentine government to “condemn this agreement and demand that Bolivia reconsider its decision.”