The return of "aeroterror": what is behind the flights between Caracas and Tehran

They started more than 10 years ago. They were baptized a long time ago as "aéroterror"These are the VO-3006 flights that connected Caracas (Venezuela) with Tehran (Iran), making a necessary scale in Damascus, the Syrian capital. These were honeymoon moments between Hugo Chavez and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. They had a peculiarity: few pbadengers and crew were in planes and no one could get a ticket to complete the trip. Neither one-way nor one-way. Now these flights, come back.

The magazine Veja, in 2018, revealed the mystery of the secret of these tours based on an investigation of the Brazilian journalist Leonardo Coutinho. The roads were covered by the line Conviasa and they were developed twice a month, between March 2007 and September 2010. The ship was an Airbus A340, whose contents were secret.

However, the cargo appeared. The planes were loaded with kilos of cocaine that were left in Damascus. There, the terrorist group Hezbollah he made them his own and distributed them to the rest of Middle East and Europe. The flight followed his route to Tehran, where he was again charged. This time, millions of dollars went back to Venezuela.

In addition to narcotics, the staff of Conviasa He claimed that radioactive materials and missile system components had been transported during these flights. These flights and their pbadengers have never been inspected. Ordinary citizens could never get a seat on these flights. They were only available with the permission of the Government, Iranian or Venezuelan. Places were reserved for "Iranian agents, including Hezbollah, Islamic Revolutionary Guards, and other members of the Iranian and Syrian intelligence services"He even flew with his empty places most of the time.

The drug had a known producer: Revolutionary Colombian Armed Forces (FARC), which was closely linked to Chávez and his political and military leadership. The road was absolutely safe. But the generosity of the populist caudillo did not stop there. He also provided documentation to members of the Hezbollah so that they can go America Latina freely. The pbadports were valid and were used to travel peacefully to all corners of the region.

Now, years later, the dictator Nicolás Maduro and the leader of the Iranian regime Hasan Rohani They decided to resume flights. The agreement was signed during the last visit of the head of the Department of the Americas of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Iran, Mohsen Baharvand. He is an old friend of the region: he is the lawyer of several of the accused of the terrorist attack committed in July 1994 in the Mutual Association Israelite Argentina (AMIA) to Buenos Aires, where 85 people were mbadacred. The execution arm of the said attack was Hezbollah; the brain, the Iranian theocracy.

The first flight of Mahan Air left the international airport Imam Khomeini last monday and he joined Tehran with Caracas. Inside, Baharvand traveled to meet Maduro. With him, a delegation advises the Chavez government in these times of crisis. Also executives of the airline, who met their peers Conviasa to finalize the details of the new union.

Strange: in recent years, 18 airlines have stopped operating Venezuela. It remains more than eight. Will Iran be aware of nascent tourism growth in this Latin American country? Is there an unexpected interest of Iranian tourists to visit this region? Apparently, the company does not go through the selfies on the Venezuelan beaches.

The links between Venezuela e Iran reinforced presidencies Ahmadinejad and Chávez in 2005. But that's not all. A strong support network Hezbollah existed in Venezuela As explained in a July 2003 report, the Lebanese terrorist group has had cells in the country since the early 1990s. Mark Steinitz, then Director of the Office of Terrorism Analysis at the Office of Intelligence and Investigations of the Department of State.

At the same time, Margarita Island, on the Caribbean coast, has been used since the beginning of 2000 as a center for combating drug trafficking. Hezbollah and other Islamist terrorist groups, such as Hamas.

Currently, Margarita is used as a base of operations by activists Iranians and by the citizens of this country directly. There are large communities of Syrian and Lebanese diasporas in Venezuela, which are valuable sources of income and offer support to Hezbollah..

Mahan Air has a story. In addition to being the second largest airline in the world L & # 39; Iran is also an accomplice of the Keep Revolutionary Islamic. For this reason, he was sanctioned by the United States Treasury Department. In addition to her relationship with the Iranian force, she was also charged by Washington to transport weaponry in all Middle East. An additional service not included among its benefits to the public.

Knowing the agreement of the new roads, the acting president of Venezuela, Juan Guaidó, showed his indignation: "The regime believes that it is in a geopolitical game to remain in power. I do not have more information about the commercial flight of Iran, an airline that has been sanctioned for bringing troops to Syria, and we will find out who is funding it. A regime that wants to be seen accompanied must do these pirouettes"