Officials at the Pentagon and State Department are increasingly concerned over Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s efforts to strengthen his nation’s ties with Iran.
The two countries have even had discussions on holding joint military exercises, and Venezuela is seeking to buy uranium from Iran, according to Bush administration officials cited by The Washington Times.
The Times reported in October that Venezuela had made overtures to Iran about obtaining nuclear technology.
"Hugo Chavez has been clearly talking to Iran about uranium," said a senior administration official quoted by the Times.
Chavez has made several trips to Iran and voiced solidarity with the country's hard-line mullahs. He has hosted Iranian officials in Caracas, endorsed Tehran's nuclear ambitions and expressed support for the insurgency in Iraq.
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Venezuela is also talking with Hamas about sending representatives to Venezuela to raise money for the militant group's newly elected Palestinian government as Chavez seeks to build an anti-U.S. axis that also includes Fidel Castro's Cuba, the Times reports.
"I am on the offensive," Chavez said on the Al Jazeera television network, "because attack is the best form of defense. We are waging an offensive battle."