More generally, Venezuela has been committed to undermining the power and reach of the United States throughout Latin America wherever—and however—it can. 

Venezuela’s government has embraced a series of alliances to help Caracas intimidate its U.S.-backed neighbors and crush American power in the wider region. For instance, Venezuela’s regime has made common cause not only with a variety of drug cartels in the region but with the Islamic Republic of Iran. That’s especially odd, considering that the Chavismo regime in Caracas styles itself as atheistic and socialist.

Nevertheless, Venezuela and Iran are dangerously close to each other. This relationship has extended far beyond diplomatic friendship and has transmogrified into a full-blown military alliance, replete with arms sales. More to the point, Venezuela has striven to emulate Iranian unconventional warfare tactics of the kind that both Iran and its terrorist proxies, such as the Yemeni Houthis, have employed throughout the Middle East over the last decade. 

Venezuela’s Plot to Disrupt Shipping in the Panama Canal Zone

Specifically, there is real concern on the part of some U.S. strategists that Venezuela is planning to disrupt key shipping on the Panama Canal in much the same way that the Houthis have been disrupting international shipping in both the Red Sea or the Strait of Bab El-Mandeb or the way in which the Iranian Navy plans to shut down the Strait of Hormuz in the event of a direct conflict with the United States.

This further explains the incoming Trump administration’s seemingly random fixation on restoring direct U.S. control over the Panama Canal Zone, even at the risk of violating international agreements made with Panama. 

A key system that the Venezuelans have procured from their Iranian partners has been the Peykaap-III-class missile boat (known in Iran as the Zolfaghar-class), which was designed as a fast patrol craft meant to conduct quick, agile strikes. Interestingly, the Iranian boats that the Peykaap-IIIs are based on are themselves derived from the North Korean IPS-16 fast-attack boats. 

The Specs

Coming in at almost 57 feet in length with a beam of 12 feet and a draft of a little more than two feet, this fast and tiny boat is meant for conducting attacks in the shallowest of waters. Powered by two diesel engines, these boats can cruise at a top speed of almost 60 miles per hour. 

These boats carry two single anti-ship missile launchers, which can pop off either Kowsar or Nasr, Iranian-built, missiles. The Kowsar missiles have a range of around 12 miles while the Nasr goes out until about 21 miles. These two missiles rely on internal guidance and active terminal homing.

Peykaap-IIIs carry lightweight anti-ship torpedoes, compatible with Chinese (another close Venezuelan ally) C-701/FL-10 models. These boats come with heavy-caliber machine guns for close combat. Thus, the Peykaap-III boats are perfect for hit-and-run tactics, particularly against less maneuverable ships. Venezuela’s acquisition of the Peykaap-III-class missile boats began in 2023 and mean only one thing: at some point, Caracas will seek to do to international shipping in the Panama Canal Zone what both the Houthis and Iranians have done in the Red Sea and the Strait of Bab El-Mandeb. 

For the last two years, U.S. intelligence surveillance has spotted Peykaap-IIIs in Venezuelan waters around strategic areas like the Gulf of Paria near Trinidad and Tobago, suggesting an intent to dominate (or at least monitor) key maritime routes near Venezuela. The deployment of these boats so close to Guyana adds a layer of tension to overall regional maritime security. 

The Geopolitical Implications

Venezuela is a revanchist power in Latin America that is intent on rolling back U.S. power and influence in the region. It has aligned with Iran and other rivals of the United States to achieve this goal. The recent acquisition of Peykaap-III-class missile boats from Iran highlights this fact. 

And if the United States does not pay close heed to what Venezuela is up to in its own geostrategic backyard, then it might discover that the Venezuelans are doing to the Panama Canal that which Iranian-backed militias in the Mideast are doing to global shipping in that region. 

The Peykaaps are in Venezuela’s possession for one reason: to increase Venezuela’s power projection capacity and to complicate America’s. Sure, the United States Navy has infinitely more powerful, larger warships to enhance its power projection in the region. But the Peykaap-IIIs are specifically designed to stunt and stymie the larger powers of the world while still allowing the Venezuelans to run roughshod over international shipping and their neighbors.

Brandon J. Weichert, a Senior National Security Editor at The National Interest as well as a Senior Fellow at the Center for the National Interest, and a contributor at Popular Mechanics, consults regularly with various government institutions and private organizations on geopolitical issues. Weichert’s writings have appeared in multiple publications, including the Washington Times, National Review, The American Spectator, MSN, the Asia Times, and countless others. His books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His newest book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine is available for purchase wherever books are sold. He can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.

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