U.S. urges Bolivia to designate Hezbollah and Hamas as 'terrorist organizations'

The United States is urging Bolivia to take tough measures against Iranians and members of Hezbollah and Hamas, Reuters reported, citing two sources familiar with the matter.

According to the sources, Washington is pressing Bolivia to expel suspected Iranian spies and to designate Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a powerful arm of the Tehran regime, as a terrorist organization. The United States also wants the Bolivian government to classify Hezbollah and Hamas, which it views as Iranian-backed armed groups, as terrorist organizations.

Reuters said the diplomatic push is aimed at strengthening U.S. influence in South America while weakening that of Iran.

Earlier this month, Washington carried out a dramatic operation in Venezuela, a close ally of Tehran, abducting President Nicolás Maduro and his wife and transferring them to New York to stand trial on drug-trafficking charges.

Bolivia’s Foreign Ministry told Reuters that “there is not yet a definitive position on the matter,” while the U.S. State Department declined to confirm the report.

Reuters added that Bolivia has in recent years become “an important base for operations by Iranian intelligence services across the continent.” Rick de la Torre, a former CIA officer interviewed by Reuters, said Venezuela was once Iran’s main base in Latin America, but that Bolivia and Nicaragua — both with strained relations with the United States and ruled by authoritarian governments — have since emerged as secondary hubs. Washington has denounced what it calls a “permissive” environment in these countries.

Debate over Hezbollah’s activity

In September, Ecuador classified the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization, and Argentina designated Iran’s Quds Force under U.S. encouragement. The United States is also in discussions with Chile, Peru and Panama to push them toward similar decisions, with American officials claiming Hezbollah operatives are active in all three countries.

The Reuters report details the long history of Hezbollah and Iranian activity in Latin America. One of the most recent alleged operations involved a plot to assassinate the Israeli ambassador to Mexico, which Mexican security services reportedly foiled last year. The plan, first reported by Axios in November, was allegedly orchestrated in part by a Quds Force agent based in Caracas, according to one source.

“Hezbollah has long operated in Latin America, often generating revenue for its global operations through illicit smuggling networks and, at times, carrying out terrorist attacks,” the source said.

However, Reuters noted that while U.S. officials broadly agree Hezbollah maintains a presence in Latin America, intelligence agencies disagree on its scale. Some describe its fundraising networks as well-organized and hierarchical, while others argue that certain financial flows attributed to Hezbollah stem from donations and transfers within the large Lebanese diaspora that end up reaching individuals linked to the group.

“In my view, Hezbollah leaders do not micromanage every criminal operation,” de la Torre said, “but they authorize and benefit from a global facilitation architecture that includes Latin America.”