US presses Bolivia to expel suspected Iranian spies, harden approach to militant groups: Sources tell Reuters

The United States is pushing Bolivia to kick suspected Iranian spies out of the South American country and designate Tehran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps as a terrorist group, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the matter.

Washington also wants the government in La Paz to designate Lebanese armed group Hezbollah and Palestinian militant organization Hamas - both of which the United States considers to be proxies of Tehran - as terrorist organizations, said the sources, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive conversations.

The private diplomatic push comes amid a broader U.S. effort to deepen its geopolitical influence in Latin America and diminish that of its adversaries in the region.

Following an operation earlier in January to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, U.S. officials quickly pushed the government of interim President Delcy Rodriguez to curtail economic and security cooperation between Caracas and Tehran, according to a separate source familiar with the matter. For years, Venezuela and Iran had been steadfast allies.

Asked for comment, the Bolivian foreign ministry said that "there is still no completely defined position regarding this matter." The State Department did not respond to a request for comment, while the Iranian mission to the United Nations declined to comment.



Reuters