‘17 Venezuelan passports being handed out to Iranians each day’

Hizbollah cells are active in Venezuela and 17 passports were being handed out illegally each day to Iranians in recent years, the country’s interim President said.

Juan Guaido, speaking in Davos at the World Economic Forum annual meeting, warned of the Iran-backed Lebanese group’s threat.

The passport scheme was happening as recently as 2016, he said, meaning dozens of Iranians can now travel on Venezuelan documents.

Hizbollah is present in the mining regions in the south of Venezuela, Mr Guaido said.

There are “various groups in the country and we are providing information on them. They are terror groups and are active in the region”, he said.

“We really have to contain this and make sure we deal with this.”

Mr Guaido called on regional neighbours, the US and European nations to continue to pressure the regime of Nicolas Maduro, which is sheltering Hizbollah.

He said that Venezuela’s mineral resources were being used to fund Hizbollah and other terror and criminal groups, in much the same way as ISIS used oil in the Middle East before it was defeated.

“We need to contain this so they don’t get access” to money, Mr Guaido said.

He also referred to “blood gold” being used by criminals and terrorists.

Mr Guaido, President of the National Assembly of Venezuela, is recognised by more than 50 countries including the US as the country’s interim leader in place of Mr Maduro, who refuses to step down.