The U.S. has seized a Venezuelan-owned cargo jet that had been tied to the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Gaurd Corps) after it was grounded in Argentina, and its arrival prompted an investigation into possible terrorism ties. The Boeing 747 was sold to Venezuela by Iran’s Mahan Air, which was determined to be a transaction that broke U.S. sanctions against the private Iranian carrier. Venezuela responded very negatively to the seizure, calling it shameless robbery, and claimed it infringed on their country’s sovereignty.
The plane was initially grounded in June 2022, and the U.S. issued a search warrant not long after it landed in Argentina. There were 19 crew members on board, consisting of Iranian and Venezuelan men. The pilot was apprehended by Argentine and U.S. forces and was confirmed to be a high-ranking member of the IRGC. However, they were released by an Argentine judge in October 2022 following the incident; the decision to hand over the plane to the U.S. forces was made last month after criticism from the newly elected president against Venezuela and other authoritarian governments. These interactions between governments are crucial to international relations and how the world works. Although the search may have had repercussions, the limitations of a state-sponsored sanction should be followed, and the responding country should act when these limitations are broken.
Potential terrorism is a very serious threat, a security issue which should be adressed and with the United States we have throughout history responded in a responsible and good way while intending to keep the entire population safe. Although, security issues like this can have a very different response from a different country, smaller and less developed countries may not have the resources and forces to respond to a large scale threat and may need additional assistance from other countries. This is why alliences and IGOs are very important, because countries and governments working together to keep their national security and interests their top priority but also helping other countries when they are asked.