As tensions simmer around the world, few places are discussed as little — yet matter as much — as Venezuela. Once an OPEC heavyweight and regional power, it now sits at the crossroads of global geopolitics: U.S. national security, Iran’s strategic ambitions, Cuban intelligence influence, and the creeping concern about militant networks operating halfway across the world.
To help unpack this complex web, we turned to someone uniquely qualified: Ambassador Thomas Shannon — a career diplomat with 35 years of service in the U.S. Foreign Service, former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (the third-highest position at the State Department), and now a senior international policy advisor.
On the latest episode of Breaking Battlegrounds, Shannon walked us through how and why Iran, Cuba, Russia and other actors have sought influence in Venezuela, and what it means for American interests.
Why the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Matters
One question that’s stumped many observers is why key European powers have blocked efforts to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist group — particularly when the IRGC is widely implicated in sponsoring terrorism beyond the Middle East.
According to Shannon, the reluctance — especially from France, Italy, and Spain — likely stems from a desire to preserve diplomatic flexibility in dealing with Iran in the future. If designated a terrorist group, engagement with the IRGC during any political transition in Tehran becomes legally fraught.
At the same time, Shannon did not downplay the threat: while Europe wants diplomatic options, the IRGC remains extensively involved in terrorist activities throughout the Middle East and beyond, and its global footprint requires a realistic and strategic response.
Cuba, Russia, Iran — A Different Triangle of Influence
When asked about the presence of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard or Hezbollah inside Venezuela, Shannon offered a measured answer: the most significant foreign security and intelligence presence historically hasn’t been Iranian at all — it’s been Cuba’s.
For decades, Cuban intelligence officers helped the Venezuelan government under Hugo Chávez and Nicolas Maduro manage internal security, monitor dissent, and maintain regime stability.
Russia, too, has played a prominent role — particularly in energy, arms, and political backing. But Iran’s involvement has a different strategic logic: the Islamic Republic wants to show that it can operate not just in the Middle East, but in regions close to the United States, defying isolation.
The ‘Fraternity of Thugdom’
In Shannon’s view, the Iran-Venezuela connection isn’t just about oil and diplomacy — it’s a kind of informal alliance among states and actors who see themselves in conflict with the U.S. He described it as a “fraternity of thugdom,” where adversaries share tactics and support in resisting American influence. Whether it’s through economic cooperation or shared opposition, this network poses unique challenges for U.S. foreign policy.
While direct involvement of Iranian proxies like Hezbollah inside Venezuela isn’t as well-documented or pervasive as some alarmist narratives suggest, concern about Iran’s footprint in the Western Hemisphere is not fringe. The Atlantic Council and other analysts have highlighted links between Iran’s Quds Force and Venezuelan networks — including alleged smuggling and money-laundering routes that benefit groups like Hezbollah.
Why This Matters to the U.S.
The United States has long viewed Latin America as a region where it holds strategic interests — dating back to the Monroe Doctrine. That doctrine emphasized keeping foreign militaries and hostile powers out of the Western Hemisphere, and Shannon agreed this continues to be relevant.
For Iran, having any presence near U.S. shores — whether through economic ties, intelligence contacts, or informal alliances with regimes like Maduro’s — is both a symbolic challenge and an operational foothold.
As global conflicts shift and alliances become more fluid, understanding the layers of influence inside Venezuela isn’t just academic — it’s essential for policymakers and the public alike.
Transcript
Chuck Warren: We want to talk you obviously a lot about Venezuela today. first, I want you explain something to our audience because you’ll know it, okay? So, regarding the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, France, Italy, and Spain are blocking efforts to designate them as a terrorist organization, as a person who’s been in this world for 35 plus years. Why would they do that?
Ambassador Thomas Shannon: I can only imagine that they think the Islamic Revolutionary Guard is going to play a very important role in whatever political transition happens in Iran. And they want to be able to engage with them without the legal complications that come from a designation such as you just mentioned. But let me make it clear to everybody, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard is very involved in terrorist activities throughout the Middle East and beyond. And they’re a significant adversary and one that needs to be treated in accordance with how they behave.
Chuck Warren: Ambassador, how involved is the Revolutionary Guard, Hezbollah, in Venezuela? You hear these rumors and so forth. How involved were they down there?
Ambassador Thomas Shannon: You know, that’s a very good question. And in many ways, the Cuban presence was the most significant security presence and intelligence presence inside of Venezuela and the one that was most useful to the Venezuelan government first of Hugo Chavez and then Nicolas Maduro in terms of maintaining their internal security and understanding the threats they faced from outside of Venezuela.
But also the Russians have played an important role there. And the Iranians have played an important role more than any other reason because they want to have a presence in the region near the United States where they can show the United States that they’re not isolated and that they can operate in regions that are important to us. And I would say that Iran’s presence broadly was first in the oil and gas sector for a period of time.
But the Hezbollah Iranian intelligence, Iranian Revolutionary Guard connection was, in my opinion at least, really a product of maintaining a contact with other entities that found themselves in conflict with the United States and creating kind of a fraternity of thugdom. Where thuggish governments and terrorist organizations kind of share best practices among themselves about how to deal with America.
Sean Noble: Well, I think that that’s one of the things that a lot of Americans probably don’t recognize as to why this was such an important situation for the president to engage in because you know, Monroe, Monroe doctrine, we want to have hemispheric safety and security and to your point about Iran wanting to kind of flex their muscle to say, we can, we can, we can operate in your backyard with, you know, with no consequence. I think that that was an important component of this.
Ambassador Thomas Shannon: Indeed, yes it was.
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