The United States is pressing Bolivia to expel individuals suspected of acting as Iranian intelligence operatives and to designate Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the discussions.
Washington is also urging authorities in La Paz to classify Lebanon-based Hezbollah and the Palestinian militant group Hamas—both viewed by the U.S. as Iranian proxies—as terrorist organizations. The sources requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the diplomatic talks.
The behind-the-scenes pressure forms part of a broader U.S. strategy to strengthen its geopolitical influence in Latin America while curbing the presence of rival powers in the region.
Following a U.S. operation earlier this month aimed at capturing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, American officials moved quickly to encourage the interim government of President Delcy Rodríguez to reduce economic and security cooperation with Iran, according to a separate source familiar with the matter. Venezuela and Iran have long maintained close political and strategic ties.
Bolivia’s foreign ministry said there is “no fully defined position on the matter at this time.” The U.S. State Department declined to comment, while Iran’s mission to the United Nations also declined to respond.
Despite its landlocked geography and population of roughly 12 million, Bolivia has increasingly drawn attention from U.S. officials as a key hub for Iranian diplomatic and intelligence activity in South America.
Current and former U.S. officials cite what they describe as a permissive counterintelligence environment, combined with Bolivia’s central location bordering several countries that have allegedly faced attempted Hezbollah-linked plots in recent years.
Rick de la Torre, a retired senior CIA officer and former chief of station in Caracas, said Venezuela has historically served as Iran’s primary base in Latin America. However, Bolivia and Nicaragua—both governed by administrations with strained relations with Washington—have emerged as secondary operational centers in recent years.
“Bolivia’s value to Tehran lies in its permissive political climate, limited scrutiny, and central geography,” de la Torre said. “Across Latin America, Iran and Hezbollah tend to use the least restrictive jurisdictions as hubs, then quietly project influence into higher-value neighboring states.”
Former Bolivian president Evo Morales, who governed from 2006 to 2019, strengthened ties with Iran, including cooperation on defense and security, framing the relationship as part of a shared struggle against U.S. imperialism.
Morales and his successor, leftist President Luis Arce, who remained in office until late last year, were widely viewed by U.S. officials as resistant to efforts to distance Bolivia from Tehran.
That calculation has changed following the October election of centrist President Rodrigo Paz, which ended nearly two decades of near-continuous rule by the leftist MAS party. Paz’s administration, facing economic instability and a divided legislature, has sought to reset relations with Washington and attract private investment.
U.S. officials welcomed Paz’s election, and in December Washington made Bolivia eligible for grant funding through the Millennium Challenge Corporation, a U.S. development agency.
Sources said the push involving Bolivia is part of a wider U.S. campaign across Latin America. In September, Ecuador designated the IRGC, Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist organizations, while Argentina designated Iran’s Quds Force last week—moves that the U.S. actively supported.
The IRGC has served as Iran’s elite military force since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, while the Quds Force is responsible for overseas operations.
Although Washington has long sought to weaken Iran’s foothold in Latin America, officials say the effort has intensified. A U.S. delegation including State Department and intelligence officials visited La Paz this month to discuss possible terrorist designations, the sources said.
U.S. officials have also explored similar designations in Chile, Peru and Panama, although it remains unclear whether formal discussions have begun. U.S. authorities allege Hezbollah operatives have operated in all three countries, each currently led by governments aligned with Washington.
Panama’s foreign ministry said it has not discussed the issue with U.S. officials. Chile’s foreign ministry declined to comment on diplomatic discussions but noted that Chile adheres to the United Nations list of terrorist organizations. Peru’s foreign ministry did not respond to requests for comment.
One of the most recent alleged IRGC-linked plots in the region involved an attempted assassination of Israel’s ambassador to Mexico, which Mexican security services thwarted last year. The operation, first reported by Axios, was allegedly coordinated by an undercover Quds Force officer based in Caracas, according to one source.
Hezbollah, closely allied with Iran, has operated in Latin America for decades, often generating funds through illicit trafficking networks and, at times, orchestrating terrorist attacks.
However, intelligence assessments vary regarding the scale of Hezbollah’s presence. Some analysts describe the group’s fundraising networks as highly structured, while others argue that certain financial flows attributed to Hezbollah stem from donations and remittances from Latin America’s large Lebanese diaspora, rather than centralized direction.
“Hezbollah leadership doesn’t micromanage every criminal activity,” de la Torre said, “but it does authorize and benefit from a global facilitation network that includes Latin America.”