With just 300 or so Muslims in all of Nicaragua, it became an instant mystery here when a big new mosque suddenly seemed to spring up recently in a residential neighborhood. Like, who paid for it? The ever-present Managua rumor mill quickly turned to the government of Iran. Its president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a Muslim, and Nicaragua's leftist leader, Daniel Ortega, a Catholic, say they share a revolutionary kinship. As part of a grandiose effort to show that Iran is a global superpower, Mr....

Russia and Nicaragua will hold joint military exercises, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on the sidelines of talks with Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega during a working visit to Latin America, RIA-Novosti reported Monday. The planned exercises could anger the United States, which considers Latin America as part of its traditional sphere of influence. Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin published an article Monday in Kommersant denying a report in the newspaper last week...

The armies of Nicaragua and Venezuela will conduct military exercises aimed at training their air and naval forces, reported on Thursday official sources in Managua. The military exercises will take place in Nicaragua from May 1 to June 30, with the presence of about 30 Venezuelan soldiers and an unspecified number of ships and planes of the Venezuelan Air Force, DPA reported. The participation of Venezuelan troops was authorized on Wednesday by the Nicaraguan parliament as required...

Terrorist-sponsoring nation Iran is increasing its presence in Latin America, and Hezbollah, a terrorist organization it sponsors, is making inroads in drug trafficking in Colombia, according to Pentagon spokesperson Donna Miles in a press statement to the National Association of Chiefs of Police. During a recent congressional hearing, Navy Admiral James G. Stavridis told the House Armed Services Committee that he shares the concerns of Defense Secretary Robert Gates about Iranian activity...

In a Radio program broadcast on Wednesday, Ahmadinejad lashed out at critics of his government's foreign policies. "One of these gentlemen (rival candidates) still cannot understand the world affairs and this is why he asks us why we have focused on Latin America," Ahmadinejad was qouted by press tv as saying. His remarks were made after presidential hopeful Mir-Hossein Mousavi slammed the Ahmadinejad government's policy of getting closer to Latin American states. "Instead of...

Caroline Glick and their influence over neighboring countries. These alliances are a strategic threat to the US, if not an immediate military threat. Iran is not only using the alliances to built Iran's strength in the Middle East, it is also helping to build an anti-capitalism, anti-freedom block in Latin America. This regional alliance will be able to influence other Latin American countries' relations with the US and with our trade and investment interests. Obama and his administration seem...

WASHINGTON - Iran is increasing its presence in Latin America, and Hezbollah, a terrorist organization it sponsors, is making inroads in drug trafficking in Colombia, the commander of U.S. Southern Command told Congress today. Navy Adm. James G. Stavridis told the House Armed Services Committee he shares concerns expressed by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates about Iranian activity in Central and South America. Iran has opened six embassies in the region during the past five years and is...

The commander of U.S. forces in Latin America says the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah is involved in drug trafficking in Colombia. The admiral is worried about increased Iranian and Hezbollah activities throughout the region. At Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Tuesday Admiral James Stavridis accused Hezbollah of involvement in the drug trade. "We have seen in Colombia a direct connection between Hezbollah activity and the narco-trafficking activity," he...

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates told Senators Tuesday that although much attention was given to Russia's recent courting of some Latin American countries, he is more concerned about new activities of Iran in the region. Secretary Gates told the Senate Armed Services Committee he is worried about efforts by the Iranian government to gain influence in Latin America. "I'm concerned about the level of, frankly, subversive activity the Iranians are carrying on in a number of...

The alleged presence of Iranian Revolutionary Guards in Nicaragua without "justification" has caused tensions within the Israeli community in the country. According to a report by the Jewish News Agency (JNA), the arrival of 30 Iranian Revolutionary Guards has be confirmed. Gerald Smith, the president of the Israeli Congregation of Nicaragua, disclosed the revolutionay guards' arrival in nicaragua and their failure to register with the immigration authorities to the JNA. ...