NextFin News - The United States government has formally urged Bolivia to expel suspected Iranian intelligence operatives and designate Tehran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), along with Hezbollah and Hamas, as terrorist organizations. According to TimesLIVE, the private diplomatic push was conveyed by a delegation of U.S. State Department and intelligence officials who traveled to La Paz earlier this month. This assertive move comes at a critical juncture for Bolivia, which is undergoing a significant political transition following the October 2025 election of centrist President Rodrigo Paz, ending nearly two decades of rule by the leftist Movement for Socialism (MAS) party.
The U.S. initiative is not an isolated event but part of a coordinated regional campaign to diminish Iran’s footprint in Latin America. Washington has recently successfully advocated for similar designations in Ecuador and Argentina. In Bolivia, the U.S. is specifically targeting what it describes as a "permissive counterintelligence environment" that has allowed Tehran to use the landlocked nation as a logistical hub for operations across South America. While the Bolivian Foreign Ministry stated that there is "still no completely defined position" on the matter, the pressure highlights a sharp departure from the era of former President Evo Morales, who openly embraced Iran as a strategic partner against U.S. influence.
The shift in U.S. policy toward Bolivia is deeply rooted in the broader geopolitical strategy of U.S. President Trump, who was inaugurated on January 20, 2025. Under the current administration, the U.S. has adopted a more transactional and security-focused approach to Latin American relations. By making Bolivia eligible for grant funding through the Millennium Challenge Corporation in December 2025, Washington has provided a clear economic incentive for Paz to align with U.S. security priorities. For Paz, the dilemma is acute: he inherits a fragile economy and a divided legislature, making U.S. financial support vital, yet the expulsion of Iranian operatives could provoke domestic leftist factions still loyal to Morales.
From a strategic perspective, Bolivia’s central geography makes it a high-value target for intelligence agencies. Bordering five countries, it serves as a natural bridge for the projection of influence. Rick de la Torre, a retired senior CIA officer, noted that while Venezuela remains Iran’s primary base in the region, Bolivia has functioned as a critical "secondary node." The U.S. concern is not merely diplomatic; it is operational. Intelligence reports cited by the Sri Lanka Guardian suggest that Iranian-linked networks have used these permissive jurisdictions to facilitate illicit smuggling and, in some cases, plot against Western interests, such as a foiled 2025 assassination attempt on the Israeli ambassador to Mexico.
The economic implications of this diplomatic tug-of-war are significant. Bolivia’s lithium reserves—among the largest in the world—are a focal point of global industrial competition. As the U.S. seeks to secure supply chains for green technologies, ensuring a government in La Paz that is not beholden to adversaries like Iran or China is a paramount objective. The U.S. pressure to expel Iranian operatives is therefore as much about securing the "Lithium Triangle" as it is about counter-terrorism. If Paz accedes to U.S. demands, it could pave the way for a flood of Western private investment, potentially stabilizing the Bolivian economy but at the cost of heightened geopolitical friction.
Looking ahead, the success of this U.S. campaign in Bolivia will likely serve as a bellwether for other nations in the region, including Chile, Peru, and Panama, where U.S. officials are reportedly exploring similar terrorist designations. The trend suggests a hardening of the Western Hemisphere into distinct security blocs. As Washington ramps up its "armada" of diplomatic and economic tools, the era of non-alignment for smaller South American states is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain. The coming months will determine whether Paz can successfully pivot toward Washington without triggering a domestic political crisis, a move that would fundamentally redraw the map of Iranian influence in the Americas.
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