Colombia severed diplomatic relations with Iran

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Colombia announced on September 24 that it had suspended diplomatic relations with Iran. With this, the country became the latest US ally in Latin America to sever ties with Washington's "main enemy," France 24 reported.

The new right-wing President Abelardo de la Espriella, who succeeded the leftist former President Gustavo Petro on August 7, is reviewing Colombia's foreign relations with the full support of US leader Donald Trump.

Before taking office, De la Espriella had expressed plans to also sever relations with the authoritarian leftist governments in Cuba and Nicaragua. However, these plans have not yet been realized.

According to the government, the decision to sever ties with Iran, which took effect on September 19, was made in the interest of the "national security of the hemisphere."

The Colombian side accused the Iranian government of links to "narco-terrorist groups that threaten the country's security," but provided no evidence of this.

Bogota also sharply criticized Tehran for blocking shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and attacking other countries in the Middle East as part of its war against the US and Israel. Nevertheless, the Colombian government added that consular relations with Tehran would be maintained.

In early September, Peru also severed diplomatic relations with Iran. The country condemned Tehran's obstruction of the activities of the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency).