By:Reza Shafa
The Iranian regime’s Air and Space Organization, part of its Ministry of Defense, along with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) unit responsible for the missiles program, are collaborating extensively and secretly in the field of missile technology transfer to Venezuela. The IRGC’s commanders even attended the June 2008 Venezuelan military exercise.
During the past 5 years, the Iranian regime has established extensive military and political relations with Venezuela, with its investments in that country totaling roughly 10 billion dollar. Mullahs’ former president, Mohammad Khatami, and their current president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, have each traveled to Venezuela twice, while the Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez, has also reciprocated with his own trips to Tehran on a number of occasions.
In addition to the political and economic relations, in February 2008, a security pact was signed between the Iranian regime and Venezuela, which has thus far remained unannounced.
The Ministry of Defense’s Air and Space Organization (which oversees the missiles program) is also active in Venezuela. However, its activities are clouded in secrecy and the visits by IRGC commanders linked to this organization are conducted through various guises.
As of mid-2007, the Iranian regime had transferred a series of missiles to Venezuela, and negotiations got underway for the production and assembly of more missiles in Venezuela. The negotiation process was facilitated by the signing of the February 2008 unannounced security pact between the two. In early June 2008, the Venezuelan military conducted a military exercise, at which IRGC commanders from the unit responsible for the development of missile technology as well as from the missile program at the Defense Ministry’s Air and Space Organization had unofficial presence as observers.
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Reza Shafa is an expert on the Iranian regime's Intelligence networks, both in Iran and abroad.
He has done extensive research on Iranian Ministry of Information and Security (MOIS) also known as VEVAK, Intelligence Office of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and Qods Force among others. Currently he is a contributor to NCRI website
