Of the three Latin American countries that Ahmadinejad is scheduled to visit, Venezuela and Bolivia are the most empathetic to Iran's need for international allies. Bolivia has for years had a strained relationship with the United States. It recently made its first attempts at reconciliation after a major fallout in 2008 that left the United States with no ambassador in Bolivia. Venezuela has had an extremely poor relationship with the United States since 2002, when Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez attributed a coup attempt against him to U.S. influence. Countries like Iran and Russia , which are geopolitical rivals with the United States, cultivate relationships with countries like Venezuela, Cuba, Ecuador and Bolivia as a way to challenge U.S. influence in the region. Iran is constantly searching for ways to circumvent international sanctions that restrict its access to materials that could aid its nuclear program.