Israel, which is gradually losing the support it enjoyed in the EU and the US, is planning to have a presence in Latin America to counter Iran's growing ties in the region.

Amid a deepening rift with the US and calls for the European Union to back Washington's stance on the Middle East peace process, Israel is sending Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon to attend the annual summit of the Organization of American States (OAS) next week, an official said on Saturday on condition of anonymity.

The initiative comes in the midst of Iran enjoying strong relations with Latin American counties like Venezuela and Bolivia -- which Israel has recently accused of supplying Tehran with uranium.

Tel Aviv -- which according to former US president Jimmy Carter possesses the sole atomic arsenal in the Middle East -- alleges that Tehran is using its nuclear energy program for military ends, while Iran, a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), says its nuclear aspiration is only aimed at generating electricity to meet the country's growing demand.

"Israel sees in the summit a chance to deepen economic and diplomatic ties with Latin America and to match Iran's and Hezbollah's involvement in the region," AFP quoted the Israeli official as saying.

The decision to send a high-ranking Israeli representative to the OAS summit for the first time in years hints at Tel Aviv's desperation to pile up support for its war plans to counter what it calls the 'Iranian threat'.

It is said that a plot to accuse Venezuela and Bolivia of selling uranium to Iran was meant to serve as a pretext for Tel Aviv to engage the two states and resume relations with Caracas and La Paz - which both expelled Israeli ambassadors over Tel Aviv's war on the Gaza Strip that ended in January 2009.

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman also has plans to travel to Latin America and Africa in the coming months as part of the "diplomatic offensive to halt Iran's growing influence," the official added.

The hawkish government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, since coming to power, has threatened to launch a military offensive against Iran, targeting its nuclear facilities -- an attitude which has cost Tel Aviv Washington's carte blanche support.

US President Barack Obama, on the other hand, has vowed to diplomatically engage Iran and has called on Israel to halt settlement activities and accept the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state -- which Tel Aviv deems as a low priority.

Israel's open defiance of the United States has resulted in more countries -- including Portugal -- calling on the EU to adopt Washington's position on Tel Aviv.

After the OAS summit, the deputy foreign minister will visit Washington for a meeting with senior State Department and White House officials in another attempt to gain US backing for a military attack on Iran, the Israeli official concluded, AFP reported.

MMN/SME/HAR