WASHINGTON: Iran is “struggling” to cultivate ties with Latin American countries that are wary of the United States, and Tehran’s influence in the region is on the decline, a top US general said yesterday. “The reality on the ground is that Iran is struggling to maintain influence in the region, and that its efforts to cooperate with a small set of countries with interests that are inimical to the United States are waning,” General John Kelly, head of US Southern Command, told lawmakers. In Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador and Argentina, Iran has sought to expand diplomatic and economic links to counter international sanctions and to promote anti-US sentiment, but the bid has only been “marginally successful” Kelly told the Senate Armed Services Committee.AFP
