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WASHINGTON (NewsNation<\/a>) \u2014 The Iranian navy plans to station warships in a critical trading route: the Panama Canal. The announcement comes amid an ongoing campaign to install an Iranian military presence in Latin America \u2014 which would also come to the doorstep of the United States.<\/p>\n

The commander of Iran’s Navy, Rear Admiral Shahram Irani, announced Wednesday that his forces will establish a presence in the Panama Canal by the end of this year, marking the first time Iran’s navy has sailed in the Pacific Ocean, The Washington Free Beacon reported<\/a>. <\/p>\n

It’s a move the Pentagon sees as defiance \u2014 bordering on provocation.<\/p>\n

For Iran, it’s a step toward a growing relationship with some of its allies: dictator-led nationals like Venezuela, no ally of the U.S., along with Bolivia and Nicaragua. <\/p>\n