Maduro and Iran: Hezbollah, oil, and illicit networks propping the Venezuelan regime

As Venezuela falls deeper into an economic and humanitarian crisis, the Maduro regime remains entrenched, propped up by its global network of nefarious actors and illicit activities. In the latest show of regime-to-regime support, Maduro and Iran have engaged in an oil-for-gold scheme as Venezuela grapples with nationwide gasoline shortages. A key element to Iran-Maduro cooperation is the clandestine support networks of Iran-backed Hezbollah.
How are the increasing Maduro-Iran ties threatening democratic stability in Venezuela and security across the region? How are Hezbollah’s transregional crime-terror networks helping to sustain the regime? What is the role of the international community, especially the United States and Europe, in countering less-visible actors such as Hezbollah as well as geopolitical actors such as Iran?
Join the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center, in partnership with its Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative, on Wednesday, October 7, 2020, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. (EDT), for a discussion on Maduro-Iran ties and the little-known influence of Hezbollah in Venezuela. This public conversation – the second as part of the Center’s programming on the Maduro regime’s illicit activities – will launch an Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center report by Joseph Humire that provides a nuanced understanding of Hezbollah’s networks tied to the Maduro regime and specific actions for international actors to counter this threat to democratic stability in Venezuela.
Fuente: Atlanticcouncil