• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

US mulls sanctions against Chile over possible break with Israel: Report

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 31 May 2025 10:27 AM

In response to Chile's recall of military attachés from Tel Aviv over the ongoing Gaza genocide, the United States is reportedly considering imposing sanctions against the South American country.

On Tuesday, Chile's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defense jointly announced the withdrawal of the country's air, defense, and military attachés from its embassy in the Israeli-occupied territories.

Chile's President Gabriel Boric is expected to address the issue during his high-profile Cuenta Pública speech on Sunday and raise the possibility of a full diplomatic break from the Zionist regime.

According to a report by Media Line, an American news agency covering West Asia, in retaliation to Chile's decision, Donald Trump's administration is considering an array of sanctions against Santiago.

The punitive measures include canceling Chile's participation in the US Visa Waiver Program, increasing tariffs on Chilean exports, suspending student visa interviews, and even closing the US consulate in Santiago.

Chile is currently the only country in the Southern Cone of South America that is included in the Visa Waiver Program.

The program allows Chilean citizens to travel to the US without a visa for short stays. Ending the program will mark a significant diplomatic setback for both countries.

According to the report, the US is prepared to adopt measures as severe as those taken with Colombia's President Gustavo Petro, who severed ties with Israel earlier this year.

Boric who has been in office since 2022, has increasingly distanced Chile from the Israeli regime.

His administration delayed the accreditation of the Israeli ambassador in its first year and barred Israeli companies from participating in the 2024 FIDAE aerospace fair (Chile's International Air and Space Fair).

In November 2023, Chile recalled its ambassador from Tel Aviv and left the post unfilled.

Chile's government has criticized the Israeli regime's "disproportionate and indiscriminate" military actions in Gaza and blocking aid to civilians.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza said on Tuesday that at least 4,000 people have been killed in the territory since March 18, after the Israeli regime shattered a 2-month ceasefire deal with Hamas and resumed its genocidal war against the narrow Strip.

Since October 7, 2023, the war has taken a devastating toll of over 54,000 lives and injured 124,000 individuals, with children and women constituting the majority of casualties.