MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina reinforces security alongside Bolivian border

Iranian elite troops are stationed in Bolivia with passports of the South American country after a defense agreement

After announcing its unwavering alliance with Israel in the ongoing Middle East crisis, the Argentine Government of President Javier Milei upped its security alert on the northern border given Bolivia's military alignment with Iran but lowered it from “orange” to “yellow” elsewhere in the country, it was reported Monday in Buenos Aires.

The Government decided this Monday to lower the alert level from “orange” to “moderate” in the country due to Iran's offensive against Israel in the Middle East, but reinforced controls are maintained at key points, such as on the Bolivian border “because there has been a memorandum signed by Bolivia and Iran,” whereby Iranian elite forces are stationed in the South American country, Bullrich said in a TV interview. Argentina's strategy was in line with that adopted by the United States, she also explained.

Argentina's border authorities are particularly alert should anybody not speaking Spanish try to enter the country with a Bolivian passport after rumors that many such documents may have been given away as part of the arrangement between La Paz and Tehran. According to local media, Milei's administration has been sensitive about the link between the Bolivian State and Iran at least since February this year following the 2023 cooperation agreement between Bolivian Defense Minister Edmundo Novillo and his Iranian counterpart.

Argentina is also very sensitive to Middle East conflicts after Iran was determined to be behind the bombing of Israel's Embassy in Buenos Aires in 1992 and of the Argentine-Israeli Welfare Association (AMIA) in 1994. Both attacks combined left over 100 people dead and many hundreds injured.

Despite the high alert, Buenos Aires ordered the reopening of its embassies in Israel, Iran, Lebanon, and Syria, after the decision to close them on Saturday night due to the high risk.

Regarding Argentina's stance in the face of the new international conflict, Presidential Spokesman Manuel Adoorni said that Milei's positioning in no way changed this on the domestic front. “We do not consider that putting ourselves in front of a problem that the world has makes us a target or changes the situation in a country that has already had attacks. Terrorism always seeks, no matter what, but it always seeks to harm the weakest, the whole approach.”

After Iran attacked Israel, Milei cut short his foreign trip and returned to Buenos Aires to chair an emergency cabinet meeting. It was first reported that Israeli Ambassador Eyal Sela had participated in the encounter but Milei said Monday that the diplomat only briefed attendees on the ongoing events, after which he left.

Only then did the cabinet meeting begin, Milei insisted after objections to a foreign official's presence in a meeting of national interest. The President also argued that journalist Jorge Lanata had been given “an envelope” under the table to make those remarks and would therefore be sued for it. “Criticism yes. Lies no”, stressed Milei. “Jorgito, don't lie. In the meeting, the ambassador told the official vision of Israel and then left,” the President stressed.