Iranian terrorist groups operate freely in Nicaragua

The Israeli consul in Costa Rica, Amir Rockman, last week publicly accused Daniel Ortega’s regime of allowing the presence of Iranian forces and terrorist groups financed by the Islamic regime on Nicaraguan territory.

According to Rockman, Ortega’s dictatorship has allowed Iranian forces to operate without restrictions in Nicaragua. “The Ortega family regime not only gives free passage to Iranian radicals, but also to other terrorist groups that operate freely on Nicaraguan soil,” said the diplomat. The complaint was made in an interview given by the independent Nicaraguan portal Despacho 505.

Rockman highlighted that these actions are facilitated by the close relationship that Ortega has maintained with Iran, which is now one of his main allies on the international stage. “We are deeply concerned, as we do not know the objectives of these forces, but we know that they represent a threat,” said the consul, who regretted the Nicaraguan regime’s decision to break diplomatic relations with Israel this month. “This rupture does not surprise us, as Daniel Ortega’s government has been deteriorating relations between Israel and Nicaragua for more than a year,” he recalled.

Alliance between Ortega and Iran

The proximity between the Ortega regime and Iran has intensified since the dictator’s return to power in 2007. In 2023, the two countries signed a memorandum of cooperation during the visit of Iran’s then Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian ( who died this year in a helicopter accident), Managua. This agreement strengthened the partnership between the two nations in several areas, including security and military cooperation. In addition to the documents signed, Ortega had already praised and openly defended the Iranian nuclear program in other years and even called for Israel to “disarm itself to avoid a war”.

“We regret this regime’s decision to choose the welfare of the Iranian government. I don’t know what interest the Nicaraguan people have with the Iranian regime, but the Ortega family has many interests with the Iranians, and that’s why they chose to align themselves with this global axis of Iranians,” said Rockma

“During my two years in Costa Rica, I did not meet any Nicaraguan who supports this (Sandinista) dictatorship,” added the diplomat, reinforcing that the decision to break with Israel only serves Ortega’s personal interests, and not those of the population.

Relations between Israel and Ortega’s Nicaragua have been marked by ups and downs, with three diplomatic ruptures over the past few decades. The first occurred between 1979 and 1990, during the first period of the Sandinista regime. The second happened in 2010, and the third this month. According to Rockman, the current situation is the most serious yet, due to the growing involvement of Iran and extremist groups in Nicaragua.

“I believe that this new rupture in relations, in my opinion, will last longer, because the interests of the Iranians, Hezbollah and other anti-democratic groups that are now installed in Nicaragua play a greater role than in previous years”, stated the consul.

Accusations corroborated by Israeli representative

Israel’s ambassador to Costa Rica, Michal Gur Aryeh, who also carried out diplomatic duties for Nicaragua, endorsed the accusations made by Rockman. According to her, Hezbollah and other terrorist groups financed by Iran have expanded their bases not only in Nicaragua, but also in other Latin American countries, such as Venezuela and Bolivia.

“We have seen visits by Iranian officials to Nicaragua in recent years, which is a very clear sign of the rapprochement between these regimes. We have been following the situation in Nicaragua with great concern for some years. I can say that there are other countries in the region that also have Hezbollah bases, such as Venezuela and Bolivia. We see these allies of Iran with very dangerous activities for the region”, declared the ambassador during an interview this week.

Gur Aryeh revealed that Israel’s intelligence services have been cooperating with several Latin American countries to intercept terrorist cells. In recent years, said the representative of Israel, her country has provided assistance in situations of terrorist attacks in Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Colombia and Mexico.

“When we see an opportunity to stop these terrorists, we cooperate with governments on the continent,” said the ambassador, highlighting that organized crime and terrorism are operating together in Latin America. “You don’t generally know when organized crime ends and when terrorism begins, because many of these terrorist groups are very, very involved in organized crime,” recalled Gur Aryeh

Terrorist operations in Latin America

Gur Aryeh mentioned the terrorist attacks in Buenos Aires in 1994 against the Associação Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA) as an example of the long-standing Iranian influence on terrorist attacks in Latin America.

“I can say, for example, that the attacks in Buenos Aires in the 90s were clearly organized through the Iranian embassy in Buenos Aires. We have this information about past attacks, but I can’t share any more details. We continue to monitor the situation,” he declared.

The ambassador also reinforced that Ortega’s alliance with Iran puts regional security at risk. “Ortega’s dictatorship chose Iran as an ally, which is the biggest promoter of terrorism in the world. Iran’s terrorism goes beyond the Middle East. For example, Iranian weapons are being used in Ukraine against the Ukrainian people. The biggest terrorist attacks in Latin America were carried out by Iran in Buenos Aires. So this is the regime’s partner — a very, very dangerous partner. In fact, we now have a terrorist base in Central America, which is worrying not just for Costa Rica, but for the entire region,” said Gur Aryeh.

“We see dictatorships around the world that are unable to maintain good relations with democratic countries. Many of these dictatorships have brutal allies like themselves and support each other,” added the diplomat.

Opponents say Ortega aligned himself with the “Axis of Evil”

Nicaraguan opponents claim that Ortega’s decision to break with Israel reveals a “historical link” between the Sandinista regime and “Islamic extremism” and terrorism.

Arturo McFields, former ambassador of Nicaragua to the Organization of American States (OAS), said that “the rupture of relations (with Israel) shows a Daniel Ortega who is radicalizing and moving further away from democracy, by embracing the countries that make up the ‘axis of evil’, that is, ‘terrorist countries’”.

McFields stated that Ortega’s decision aligns with countries considered “terrorist states” and that, by taking this stance, the Sandinista dictator is indirectly confronting the United States.

Juan Sebastián Chamorro, an exiled opponent, believes that the decision directly benefits Iran, which finances Hezbollah in its terrorist actions.

Félix Maradiaga, another exiled opponent, stated that, under the Ortega dictatorship, Nicaragua became a “haven” for extremists who are enemies of Israel. Maradiaga adds that the “dictatorship has ties to anti-Semitic groups” and that Ortega facilitated the granting of Nicaraguan passports to promote activities contrary to global peace and security.

Nicaragua’s response

Daniel Ortega’s regime, in turn, rejected Israel’s accusations on Monday (21). In a statement released by Rosario Murillo, Ortega’s wife and number 2 in command of the regime, Nicaragua accused Israel of trying to “divert attention from the genocide against the Palestinian people” and of committing violations of international humanitarian law. Murillo stated that the rupture of diplomatic relations with Israel “was a sovereign decision”, taken in accordance with “Nicaragua’s international obligations”, and highlighted that the country is taking measures to stop what he called “the genocide of the Palestinian people”.