Iran is up to something and it is hard to imagine it is anything good. The Axis of Evil may be getting a full complement of three again.
Iranian naval movements to the Western hemisphere don't bode well for peace:
An Iranian frigate and the Makran, a former oil tanker that was converted to a floating forward staging base, have been heading south along the east coast of Africa, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive subject.
U.S. officials do not know for sure the destination of the Iranian ships, these officials said, but believe they may be ultimately headed for Venezuela. Iran’s intent in sending the vessels in the direction of the Western Hemisphere remains a mystery, the people said, as does their cargo.
A lot of very dangerous cargo could fit in that forward staging base. If the destination is Venezuela, what could it be?
The means to keep Maduro in power against his desperate subjects suffering under his cruel rule?
Weapons and support for the remnant of rebels in Colombia?
Weapons and support for Venezuela to take over chunks of newly oil rich Guyana that Venezulea claims?
Weapons and support to invade the small Dutch islands just north of Venezuela?
Or might the Iranians be shipping nuclear materials, files, or equipment to Venezuela for safe keeping? After all, even if you assume inspections could work--and I don't--no matter how much inspections can work to halt Iranian nuclear weapons research and development, it could only work inside Iran.
One cargo we can see might indicate Iran is setting up a protected port:
An Iranian Navy ship thought to be bound for Venezuela left its port in late April with seven high-speed missile-attack craft strapped to its deck, USNI News has learned.
Or the boats could be for Maduro's forces. In exchange for what, who knows?
We must not trust the mullah-run government of Iran on anything at all, especially nukes. Iran might be anticipating a new opening of the money floodgates with a Iran Nuclear Deal 2.0 with Biden diplomats. Perhaps Venezuela's Maduro will be happy to take some of that money to let Iran set up a sanctuary to hold things it doesn't want to risk exposing in Iran to Israeli agents adept at penetrating Iranian security.
