❗️Colombia formally severs diplomatic ties with Iran

Colombia has formally severed diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Colombian Foreign Ministry announced Thursday.

Bogotá said the move was based on national and hemispheric security concerns, the fight against transnational crime, and what it described as alleged links between the Iranian government and international terrorist and narcoterrorist groups, claims which are unsubstantiated.

The ministry also cited retaliatory attacks on countries outside the region, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and alleged obstruction of International Atomic Energy Agency efforts to assess Iran's nuclear program. "These facts deteriorated Colombia's trust in the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran," the ministry said.

The decision does not sever consular relations between the two countries, according to Colombia's Foreign Ministry. Diplomatic relations between Bogotá and Tehran date back to 1975.