Colombia breaks diplomatic ties with Iran – Colombia News

Colombia’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday that it had broken diplomatic ties with Iran and designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization.

The foreign ministry made the announcements in two separate statements that were published in its website.

In the first statement, the government claimed that the decision claimed to defend “national and hemispheric security, and the fight against transnational crime.”

According to the foreign ministry, the Iranian government has “alleged ties to international terrorist groups and other narco-terrorist groups that threaten [Colombia’s] security.”

Colombia also took into account the documented human rights violations committed by the Iranian government on its territory, the verified attacks against countries not involved in the Middle East conflict, the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, and the authorities’ obstruction of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) efforts to verify the scope of Iran’s nuclear program.

Foreign Ministry

In regards to the IRGC, the foreign ministry claimed that the Iranian armed force “poses a serious threat to international peace and security” through “covert operations beyond Iran’s borders.”

“Colombia will strengthen its control and security measures to prevent individuals associated with the IRGC from entering its territory,” said the foreign ministry in a second statement.

In his 2017 book “Watch Your Backyard,” Foreign Minister Omar Bula claimed that “Iran and Islamic extremist groups such a Hezbollah and Al Qaeda have profusely penetrated Latin America.”

As part of his foreign policy, President Abelardo de la Espriella has renewed ties with the United States, Israel and the United Arab Emirates.