Iran Merges Terrorism and Organized Crime Networks in the Americas, Report Finds

A recent analytical report reveals that Iran is systematically establishing a complex web of influence across the Western Hemisphere, integrating smuggling, money laundering, and cross-border logistics into a cohesive model that defies traditional U.S. threat classifications.

According to the report published by the Middle East Forum, this integrated approach deliberately blurs the lines between issues such as narcotics, terrorism, and migration. This consolidation allows Iran and its allies to expand their influence with high flexibility, exploiting regulatory loopholes and jurisdictional fragmentation within American institutions.

The study, authored by American-Israeli researcher Jose Leiva Alvarez Gomez, who specializes in Middle Eastern security doctrine and regional strategy, indicates that Hezbollah plays a pivotal role in constructing this network, particularly within the tri-border area connecting Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. Illicit trade activities there have intertwined with money laundering operations, creating sustainable funding streams.

Asad Ahmed Berkat, a figure sanctioned by the U.S. and subsequently detained in Paraguay, emerged as a key manager of complex financial networks utilizing shell corporations and extortion schemes to finance activities linked to Hezbollah. Over the past two decades, the U.S. Treasury Department has sanctioned more than 100 individuals and entities associated with these networks across several Latin American nations.

The report asserts that Latin America is a transit zone for over 2,000 tons of cocaine annually, providing substantial financial resources that can be diverted to fund illicit operations. In one case publicized by U.S. authorities in September 2023, approximately 500 kilograms of cocaine, valued at around $15 million and linked to Hezbollah affiliates, was seized after being hidden within fruit shipments. Investigations demonstrated that a significant portion of the profits flowed back to the organization.

Furthermore, the analysis notes that much of the cocaine entering the United States transits the Southern Border, underscoring the strategic importance of these smuggling routes in sustaining these networks. The report also recalls a 2011 attempt, allegedly by Iran-linked elements, to carry out an assassination within the U.S. using intermediaries suspected of ties to criminal gangs—a clear indication of Tehran's willingness to leverage organized crime for security objectives.

U.S. authorities have documented instances of individuals crossing borders illegally who were suspected of having ties to Hezbollah training or activities, while U.S. courts have processed cases involving operatives accused of conducting surveillance within the country. These networks are not confined to Latin America; they extend into North America, where certain routes in Mexico facilitate transit, and commercial and financial channels in Canada are used as cover for transferring funds and obscuring activities.

The report warns that this activity is becoming less clandestine, exhibiting a more overt military dimension. In December 2025, the U.S. Treasury confirmed ongoing cooperation between Iran and Venezuela in developing unmanned aerial vehicles, including long-endurance drones capable of carrying precision-guided munitions, which have been publicly displayed at official events.

This convergence occurs against a backdrop of massive commercial and financial flows in the Western Hemisphere, involving nearly $2 trillion in annual trade between the U.S. and the region, billions in remittances, and the processing of tens of millions of shipping containers. The report contends that this sheer volume provides an ideal camouflage for illegal activities without requiring direct operational control.

The study criticizes what it terms "bureaucratic fragmentation" in U.S. policy, where drug enforcement, counterterrorism, and border security are handled separately despite their operational interconnectedness. This segmented approach, the analysis concludes, diminishes the effectiveness of countermeasures against adversaries employing an integrated model combining criminal, security, and economic tools.

The report advocates for a more stringent strategy, including designating networks that facilitate the financing or support of Hezbollah as terrorist entities, imposing broader sanctions on financial and commercial intermediaries, and conditioning security cooperation with regional states on tangible results in combating terror financing. Confronting this threat demands a comprehensive strategy targeting the networks as unified entities, rather than addressing their manifestations in isolation.