BERLIN – The Iranian government is moving forward with the construction of
rocket launch bases in Venezuela, the German daily Die Welt wrote in its Thursday edition.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is Teheran’s most important
South American ally.
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Iran is building intermediate-range missile launch pads on the Paraguaná
Peninsula, and engineers from a construction firm – Khatam al-Anbia –
owned by the Revolutionary Guards visited Paraguaná in February. Amir
al-Hadschisadeh, the head of the Guard’s Air Force, approved the visit,
according to the report. Die Welt cited information from “Western
security insiders.”
The rocket bases are to include measures to prevent air
attacks on Venezuela as well as commando and control stations.
The
Iranian military involvement in the project extends to bunker, barracks and
watch tower construction. Twenty-meter deep rocket silos are planned. The cost of
the Venezuelan military project is being paid for with Iranian oil
revenue. The Iranians paid in cash for the preliminary phase of the
project, which amounted to “dozens of millions” of
dollars, Die Welt wrote.
The Paraguaná Peninsula is on the coast of
Venezuela and is roughly 120 kilometers from America’s main South American
partner, Colombia.
According to Die Welt, the clandestine agreement
between Venezuela and Iran would mean the Chavez government would fire rocket at
Iran’s enemies should the Islamic Republic face military
strikes.
Meanwhile the German press agency (DPA) reported on Friday that
Germany will not contest the placement of the Hamburg- based European- Iranian
Trade Bank (EIH) on the EU sanctions list at the end of the month. The US
Treasury Department sanctioned the EIH last year, saying it was one of the most
important institutions in Europe for financing Iran’s missile and nuclear
proliferation programs. Germany was the subject of criticism from American,
French, British and Israeli officials because it refused to shut the
EIH.
The EIH plays a crucial role in facilitating financial transactions
for midsize German firms that are active in Iran. German- Iranian total trade
amounted to over 4 billion euros in 2010, making German Iran’s No. 1 EU trade
partner.
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