As American bombs fall on Iran, South American countries brace for impact

American bombs are tearing apart buildings and lives in Iran, but the shockwaves of those attacks are being felt in parts of Latin America as they trigger old memories and new fears. Even as U.S. President Donald Trump blows hot and cold on Iran, he has begun to speak of Cuba with growing frequency and menace. “I built this great Army. I said, ‘You will never need to use it.’ But sometimes you have to use it. And Cuba is next, by the way,” Mr. Trump told a meeting of investors on March 27 in Miami — a city known for its Cuban community and their opposition towards Havana. “But pretend I didn’t say that,” added Mr. Trump as he heaped praise on himself for the military campaigns against Iran and Venezuela to a raucous crowd.

The kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro still hangs over Latin America as countries fear getting sucked into Mr. Trump’s so-called war on narco-terrorism. Air strikes are already being conducted on the Ecuador-Colombia border as Ecuadorian military carries out a joint operation with American forces. Called “Operation Total Extermination”, the campaign is officially “setting the pace for regional, deterrence-focused operations against cartel infrastructure throughout Latin America”, but poor farmers accuse the government of targeting their land and livestock. The country’s right-wing President Daniel Noboa has declared an “internal armed conflict” — in line with Mr. Trump’s rhetoric.

Before Mr. Trump sent his forces to Venezuela, Washington had branded certain criminal groups as terrorist organisations and named Mr. Maduro as their head. A similar script now appears to be written for other countries. The New York Times reported last week that the U.S. is “considering classifying Brazil’s two criminal factions — Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and Comando Vermelho (CV) — as terrorist groups”.

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Unease in Brazil

Generally, groups placed on the American list of terrorist organisations face financial sanctions, but in Venezuela’s case, it was used for a military attack. The possibility is causing unease in Brazil. Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira recently told his U.S. counterpart, Marco Rubio, that Brasília opposes classifying PCC and CV as terrorist organisations. “The Brazilian government does not consider criminal organisations to be terrorist groups. Criminal organisations aim for financial gain, whereas terrorist organisations have political objectives of various kinds,” Mr. Vieira said about his call with Mr. Rubio.

In the case of Colombia, the situation is serious. President Gustavo Petro is reportedly being investigated by U.S. prosecutors to find out if he “met with drug traffickers and solicited donations for his 2022 presidential campaign”. Mr. Petro has blamed the country’s right-wing Opposition for fabricating the story ahead of the presidential elections in May. “In Colombia, there is not a single investigation into any relationship of mine with drug traffickers,” Mr. Preto said, emphasising that he did not receive “a single peso” from cartels.

As both Colombia and Brazil go to elections this year, their leaders are speaking up against the danger. At last week’s Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in Bogotá, President Lula da Silva of Brazil criticised the growing U.S. “colonialist policies towards” Latin America. “It is not possible for anyone to think they own other countries. What are they doing to Cuba now? What did they do to Venezuela? Is that democratic?” Lula said. “When will the UN call an extraordinary meeting so we can decide the role of Security Council members? Why aren’t more countries included to represent the UN Security Council?” he asked at the CELAC meeting.

As leaders like Mr. Petro and Lula challenge Mr. Trump, his administration appears to be trying to isolate them. On March 7, Mr. Trump hosted the region’s pro-Washington leaders for a conference — called the “Shield of the Americas” — where they discussed how to “enlist and expand” partnerships for joint counter-drug operations in the region. At the meeting in Florida, which didn’t include Brazil, Mexico, Chile, and Colombia, all run by leftist governments, Mr. Trump alleged that “drug cartels are running Mexico”. The meeting’s tone, where only Americans spoke and everybody else listened, has set the alarm bells ringing in several countries. “Maduro’s kidnapping was a warning. The war on Iran is another warning to us to fall in line. The Shield of the Americas meeting is a clear sign that the Americans want to go after the regions’ natural resources, especially rare earths, and curb our relations with China,” says a senior Brazilian official, speaking on condition of anonymity. “This war on cartels is an attempt to interfere militarily in our countries. Unfortunately, right-wing parties of the region are playing Trump’s game.”

Widening reach

Mr. Trump’s close ties with Argentina’s chainsaw-wielding President Javier Milei are well known. Now, the U.S. President appears to be widening his reach. His latest catch is Chile’s new President, José Antonio Kast, who attended the Florida meeting even before being sworn in, while Mr. Trump sidelined then-President Gabriel Boric. Mr. Kast’s inauguration on March 10 offered a glimpse of rising tensions. Lula, who was expected to attend, pulled out at the last minute after Mr. Kast invited Brazil’s far-right politician Flávio Bolsonaro, a likely challenger to the President in October elections.

Flávio, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro — who is serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup following Lula in 2023 — appears to position himself for a transactional relationship with Mr. Trump. Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Texas on Saturday, where he sought Mr. Trump’s backing for his presidential run, Flávio presented Brazil as “the solution” to America’s rare-earths challenge and, without providing any evidence, accused Lula of shielding the country’s drug cartels. “Brazil is the solution so that the United States no longer depends on China for rare earths and critical minerals,” he said at the right-wing conclave.

Though Mr. Trump skipped the CPAC meeting, Flávio’s appeal to the U.S. President would be music to his ears as he threatens an Iran-like war in the region — to grab its resources and to contain China’s influence.

Published – April 01, 2026 11:10 pm IST