Bullrich sparks row with Bolivia, Chile

Minister alleges the presence of Iranian-linked forces in Bolivia and Chile, along with Triple Frontier; Arce’s administration calls for “end of provocation,” while Boric demands respect.

Security Minister Patricia Bullrich plunged Argentina into a diplomatic row with Bolivia and Chile this week after she claimed in an interview that combat forces linked to Iran were active in the territories of both nations.

Bolivia’s government responded by accusing Argentina of deliberately generating “confrontations” between the nations, while Chile President Gabriel Boric said he would send a note of protest to Buenos Aires.

The comments came after President Javier Milei – who has vowed his nation’s “unwavering commitment” to Israel since taking office – cut short an international tour to return to Buenos Aires and form a “crisis committee” in the wake of Iran’s attack on Israel last weekend.

With government officials raising the spectre of security threats, potentially against Milei and sites across the country, Bullrich jumped into the debate, declaring that Argentina is in a “delicate situation” because of the alleged presence of Iranian-linked forces in the region.

In interviews with local media outlets, the security minister highlighted areas in which she claimed Hezbollah – the group accused of the terrorist attack against the AMIA Argentineisraeli Association in 1994 – were active, among others.

In addition to being present in the triple border region between Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina, Hezbollah militia “have also been spotted lately in Iquique, in the North of Chile, last year in São Paulo, Brazil, and a few weeks ago in Peru,” Bullrich claimed.

Bullrich also claimed that Bolivia hosts hundreds of members of the Quds Force, one of five branches of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), dedicated to foreign espionage and paramilitary arms.

Speculating about the potential of foreign agents on Argentine soil, Bullrich said that the government is assessing “whether there are people who don’t speak Spanish with Bolivian passports” on national soil.

“We have not seen any of them get in, but it’s a possible hypothesis,” she speculated, without providing evidence to back up her claim.

Last week, Mark Wells, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Latin America and the Caribbean at the US State Department, said that Washington is “very concerned” about the activities of Hezbollah and Iran-linked forces in Latin America.

The claims sparked anger in La Paz, with President Luis Arce’s government slammingthe argentine official’s “provocations.”

Relations with Bolivia have worsened since Javier Milei was sworn-in as Argentina’s president last December.

“We deny and categorically reject that Bolivia is protecting people causing terror, insecurity and uneasiness within its border,” the Foreign Ministry in La Paz said in a statement.

Chile President Boric said he would senda note of pro test to Buenos Aires in the wake of Bullrich’s controversial assertions. If the minister “has serious backing, let her submit it to competent authorities and courts and communicate through the Foreign Ministry,” he said in a radio interview.

“But these half-assed statements by the press are not right, and we’ll be sending a note of protest via the Foreign Ministry. Here I demand respect for our country. Chile is not harbouring any terrorist group,” he added.

Chilean Interior minister Carolina Tohá said that citizens should not be spooked by the claims, given that “our police and intelligence systems are always on the lookout for this issue.”

“They’re always watching any movement, any priors. And right now Chile has no threat of an attack from Hezbollah,” said Tohá.