The escalating Iran-Israel conflict has exposed deep fractures across Latin America, with governments from Buenos Aires to Caracas staking out opposing rhetorical positions but remaining largely powerless to influence the crisis unfolding on the other side of the globe.

The split, already shaped by the conflict in Gaza, became starkly apparent following Israel's strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities that began on June 13, part of an ongoing conflict in which Tehran claims 224 people have been killed including civilians, senior military commanders and nuclear scientists. Despite the gravity of the situation, Latin American responses have been limited to diplomatic statements.

Brazil's foreign ministry expressed "firm condemnation" of what it called Israel's "clear violation" of Iranian sovereignty and international law. The ministry warned that the attacks threaten to "plunge the entire region into a large-scale conflict, with a high risk for peace, security, and the world economy".

Venezuela went further, with President Nicolás Maduro, a long-time ally of the Iranian Islamic republic, comparing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "the Hitler of the present time". At an emergency session of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna on June 16, Venezuelan Ambassador Claudia Salerno accused Israel of "genocidal" disregard for international law.

Peru struck a more mediating tone, with its foreign ministry calling for an immediate ceasefire and warning of "incalculable and disastrous consequences" if the conflict escalates. The Peruvian government urged both parties to pursue negotiations "using the means and mechanisms existing in international law".

However, Argentina and Paraguay took notably different stances, with both governments focusing criticism on Iran rather than Israel. Paraguay expressed "firm support for Israel and its right to defend its existence", with Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez receiving a briefing call from his Israeli counterpart about what Israel described as a "preemptive" operation against "Iranian tactical infrastructure".

Argentina has similarly aligned with Israel, with President Javier Milei's administration vocally lashing out at Iran. Buenos Aires condemned Tehran's retaliatory strikes and denounced the appointment of Ahmad Vahidi as head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, noting he faces an international arrest warrant over the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people.

The divergent positions lay bare deeper regional rifts. Left-leaning governments in Brazil, Venezuela, and several Central American nations have aligned with Iran, whilst Argentina under Milei has strengthened ties with Israel. During a recent visit to Israel, the libertarian president reaffirmed his controversial pledge to move Argentina's embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in 2026.

Cuba, Mexico, Chile, and Nicaragua have also condemned Israeli actions, with Nicaragua's government calling the strikes "reckless aggression" that violates "all laws and norms of coexistence". The Alba Union, a Bolivarian alliance of leftist Latin American nations, issued a joint statement condemning what it termed Israel's "military aggression".

Iranian diplomatic offensive

Tensions between Israel and Iran have ramped up following a recent Latin American tour by Iran's parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who visited Venezuela, Brazil, and Cuba in what observers describe as a charm offensive to build support for Tehran's position.

During his visit to Caracas, Ghalibaf met with Maduro and delivered 2.3mn vaccines as part of bilateral cooperation. In Brazil, he participated in a BRICS parliamentary forum where Iran pushed for strengthening alternative payment mechanisms to circumvent Western sanctions. Brazil holds the BRICS rotating presidency in 2025 and is gearing up to host the bloc’s summit in Rio de Janeiro on July 6-7.

“We hope and expect that just like the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, BRICS will also adopt a position [against the Israeli aggression], recognising the reality in our region, where a criminal regime has illegally launched an armed attack on another country," said Esmail Baghaei, spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, at a weekly briefing.

The Iranian delegation's activities have raised concerns among regional security analysts, particularly regarding potential cooperation on military technology and nuclear energy programmes. Venezuela and Iran have previously collaborated on drone manufacturing, whilst both Cuba and Venezuela have been accused of providing assistance to Iran-linked militant groups.

Nuclear concerns

The nuclear dimension of the conflict has particular resonance in Latin America, where several nations have their own nuclear programmes. Brazil's statement specifically condemned attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities, noting that Iran is a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and Israel is not.

Venezuela's representative to the IAEA criticised what she called "double standards" in nuclear oversight, questioning why some countries are required to cooperate in defending nuclear peace, while allowing others to act outside the law.

The regional divide reflects broader global tensions, with Latin American leftist governments increasingly aligning with Iran, Russia, and China in opposition to what they perceive as Western hegemony. Conservative governments, by contrast, have maintained closer ties with Israel and the United States.

As the conflict risks spiralling out of control, Latin America finds itself increasingly sidelined as a mere spectator to a confrontation shaped by global superpowers. The United States remains Israel's principal ally, providing military aid and diplomatic cover. In contrast, China, which has become Latin America's leading trading partner, has deepened economic ties with Iran despite officially calling for restraint.

The BRICS bloc, which includes Brazil as a founding member, has emerged as a key forum for Iran to circumvent Western sanctions and build alternative financial mechanisms. Tehran's recent inclusion in BRICS is consistent with its strategy of leveraging emerging economies to challenge Western-dominated institutions.

But this multilateral posturing masks a harder reality: Latin American nations lack the economic clout or strategic importance to meaningfully influence the conflict's trajectory. Their diplomatic positions, whilst reflecting domestic political calculations, ideological alignments and historical grievances, carry little weight in Washington, Beijing, or Moscow's strategic calculations.

The region's fragmentation over the crisis is yet another demonstration of its diminished role in global affairs, with even major economies like Brazil, which already failed to mediate peace between Russia and Ukraine, unable to broker dialogue between the warring parties. As great power competition intensifies for control over what was once known as America's backyard, Latin America appears destined to remain on the periphery of conflicts that nonetheless threaten to reshape the international order in which it must operate.