En route to Bogota, Colombia, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said that he is concerned about the spread of Iranian influence in Latin America.
"Well, we always have a concern about in particular the IRGC [Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps] and the efforts by the IRGC to expand their influence in—not only throughout the Middle East but into this region as well," Panetta told reports traveling with him.
"And, that, in my book, that relates to expanding terrorism. And that’s one of the areas that I think all of us are concerned about. And I hope that we can work together to make sure that all the steps are taken to ensure that anything that encourages terrorism can be fought against."