The Subcommittee asked me to address several specific issues relating to Iran’s expanding influence in the Western Hemisphere, each of which is complex, and the threat that this influence might present to the U.S. Homeland. My testimony will address them as themes, with a focus on the areas where, in my experience, our policy is operating on incorrect assumptions or where the true dangers are misunderstood or downplayed. I spend a great deal of time in Latin America, where I have worked for almost 40 years, and much of the information here comes from trusted sources who have proved reliable in the past and who are deeply concerned not only for the welfares of their own countries but of the United States.