Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Netanyahu: If Lebanese Army takes steps to disarm Hezbollah, Israel will engage in reciprocal measures, including phased reduction of Israeli military presence in Lebanon
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Photojournalist Houssam Al-Masri martyred, reporters Hatem Omar, Mohammad Ashraf Salameh injured in Israeli strike on Nasser Medical Complex.
Israeli media: Intense US efforts are being made to resolve differences, such as the issue of the Israeli presence on Mount Hermon and in southern Syria
Israeli media: The security agreement means amending the disengagement agreement, which will also address the Druze issue
Israeli media: Attempts to reach a security agreement between 'Israel' and Syria were among the topics discussed at the Paris meeting
Israeli media: Sheikh Muwaffaq Tarif rejected a US proposal to join the recent tripartite meeting between Tom Barrack, al-Shaibani, and Dermer
Saba News Agency: Two martyred, five injured in a preliminary toll of the Israeli aggression on the Yemeni Oil Company station on Al-Sitteen Street in Sanaa
Senior Yemeni military source to Al Mayadeen: We observed a state of confusion among the enemy's aircraft squadron after Yemeni air defenses intercepted the attack
Senior Yemeni military source to Al Mayadeen: The Yemeni air defense forces succeeded in neutralizing a squadron of enemy aircraft and prevented airstrikes on some governorates
Senior Yemeni military source to Al Mayadeen: Our air defenses and missile forces forced a formation of enemy aircraft to flee the airspace

Brazil allows Iranian ships to dock amid US concerns over Panama Canal

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 27 Jan 2023 22:49
  • 18 Shares
4 Min Read

The Iranian Navy docks warships in Brazil in preparation for moving toward the Panama Canal as US worriedly scrambles for solution.

  • x
  • Brazil allows Iranian ships to dock amid US concerns over Panama Canal
    In this photo released Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021, by the Iranian army, an Iranian warship moves in a ceremony to welcome Russian warship to Iranian waters for a joint naval exercise with the Iranian navy and Iran's IRGC navy (Iranian Army via AP)

The United States is closely monitoring Iran's activity in the Panama Canal after Tehran said its navy would station vessels in the waterway earlier in January, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price told the Washington Free Beacon on Friday.

Washington is monitoring "Iran's attempts to have a military presence in the Western Hemisphere," Price said.

This comes after documents published by the Brazilian Navy earlier in the week said that two Iranian warships, including one equipped with "anti-ship cruise missiles, torpedoes, and naval cannons," were granted permission to dock in Brazil.

The commander of Iran's navy, Rear Admiral Shahram Irani, said earlier in January that Iranian forces would establish a presence in the Panama Canal later this year, marking the first time Iran's military has reached the Pacific Ocean.

"We are aware of these claims by Iran’s navy," Price said. "We continue to monitor Iran's attempts to have a military presence in the Western Hemisphere." However, he declined to give insight regarding any potential actions that the Biden administration might take regarding the issue not Washington's stance on Iran's growing military influence in Latin America when asked to by the Washington Free Beacon.

An American national security analyst whose main focus is Latin American issues, Center for a Secure Free Society executive director Joseph Humire, said the Biden administration had an opportunity to sanction Iran's "networks" in Latin America.

"The Iranian warships ported in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, are about one to two weeks away or more from entering the Canal Zone, giving the Biden administration time to leverage and enforce US sanctions," the expert said. "Integrated deterrence, which is the defense posture of the Biden administration, requires integration across the spectrum of conflict to prevent competitors from altering the status quo in ways that harm US vital interests.’"

Related News

Valery Zaluzhny: From Ukraine top general to presidential prospect

FP: Why the Global South won't pick sides in US-China rivalry

The aforementioned Iranian vessels are expected to leave Brazil by the end of January. They will then head toward Venezuela before entering the Panama Canal on February 7.

This comes as Iran has been cementing ties with Latin American countries, most notably Venezuela, in recent years within the framework of the country's development roadmap. 

Iranian ships have docked in Venezuela more regularly, as the two countries share a similar history of enduring excruciating sanctions by the US and its allies. 

Iran frequently delivers fuel to Venezuela and often helps it sell its oil abroad as Iran possesses the necessary refineries to turn crude oil into high-value consumer products such as gas.

Humire previously argued that Iran had been planning for this type of voyage by holding joint exercises with allies such as Russia and China, both of which have been cementing their ties with Latin American countries.

"This is what Iran has been building in Latin America for the past 30 or 40 years" by establishing embassies and bilateral agreements with a host of nations, Humire added.

On this issue, Iranian Rear Admiral Irani commented by saying that the navy presence in the Panama Canal was meant to "strengthen our maritime presence in international waters," as per comments published by local media outlets. "Today we can say that there is no scientific barrier to grow in that field."

As Iran is planning on establishing a presence in the US backyard, the Islamic Republic is mulling taking steps to shut down the Strait of Hormuz, which often sees the United States scrapping with Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC).

Iran's parliament is considering a measure that would restrict European commercial movement through the shipping lane, Price told the Free Beacon.

  • United States
  • Panama
  • Panama canal
  • Brazil
  • Venezuela
  • Strait of Hormuz
  • Iran

Most Read

Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, executive director of the defense division of the Israeli National Cyber Directorate, undated (Social media)

Israeli-born US prosecutor drops Israeli officer child sex crime

  • Politics
  • 19 Aug 2025
Displaced Palestinians walk through a makeshift camp along the beach in Gaza City, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 (AP)

Hamas, other factions accept Egypt-Qatar ceasefire proposal: Exclusive

  • Politics
  • 18 Aug 2025
Israeli soldiers stand on the top of armoured vehicles parked on an area near the Israeli-Gaza border, as seen from southern Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025 (AP)

Palestinian fighters target Israeli soldiers, vehicles in Gaza

  • Politics
  • 21 Aug 2025
Almost instantly after the Helsinki Accords were signed, organisations sprouted to document purported violations, whose findings were fed to overseas embassies for international amplification. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

How ‘Human Rights’ became a Western weapon

  • Opinion
  • 23 Aug 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference at the Prime minister's office in al-Quds, Occupied Palestine, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Netanyahu deliberately derailing truce with Gaza occupation: Hamas

Irish President Michael Higgins arrives to deliver his speech during a 42nd World Food Day celebration at FAO headquarters in Rome, on Oct. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Politics

Irish president renews call for UN military intervention in Gaza

US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the US Embassy in Aukar, northern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, July 21, 2025 (AP)
Politics

US envoy, Netanyahu discuss restraining attacks on Lebanon, withdrawal

Smoke billows following Israeli airstrikes in multiple areas in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Ansar Allah vow sustained Gaza support despite Israeli strikes

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS