Iran Condemns U.S. Actions Against Venezuela
The Iranian regime, facing large-scale protests that could seriously challenge its authority, has strongly criticized President Donald Trump’s arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. They’ve called for intervention by the United Nations to support Maduro.
On Saturday morning, Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement claiming that this U.S. action represents a “military attack on Venezuela” and a significant breach of the nation’s sovereignty. They stated, “This is a blatant violation of the principles of the United Nations Charter and the rules of international law.” Specifically, they cited Article 2, Section 4 of the Charter, which prohibits the use of force.
Iran urged the United Nations and nations committed to the rule of law to promptly condemn the U.S. actions. The statement emphasized that such moves against Venezuela—an independent state and UN member—could threaten both regional and global peace, possibly leading to further erosion of the principles established by the United Nations.
Iran urged a collective response from the international community against what it called U.S. aggression, highlighting the legal and moral responsibilities of countries and organizations to act. They reaffirmed Venezuela’s right to defend its sovereignty and called for accountability for those behind what they described as a military invasion.
Hezbollah, Iran’s ally in Lebanon, echoed this sentiment, labeling the actions against Maduro as “terrorist attacks” and expressing solidarity with Venezuela’s government in resisting U.S. actions.
Iran has maintained a strategic and economic partnership with Maduro’s administration, including collaboration in military technology like drones and missiles. Recently, the U.S. Treasury Department acted against individuals and entities believed to be supporting Iran’s drone production through Venezuela, which officials warned posed a threat to U.S. national security.
John K. Hawley from the Treasury Department stated, “We are holding Iran and Venezuela accountable for their reckless proliferation of dangerous weapons worldwide.”
Moreover, Iran has also benefited from Venezuela’s oil sector, which has been under sanctions. The U.S. military recently seized an oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast that was allegedly transporting sanctioned oil to Iran. Iran responded by denouncing the seizure as an act of “piracy,” emphasizing its role in supporting Venezuela’s oil industry amidst widespread professional exile following Maduro’s governmental decline.
As domestic protests erupted in Iran, criticizing the government’s handling of the economy, even the ailing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei refrained from calling for force against the demonstrators. In light of these events, Trump warned that if Iran resorted to violence against peaceful protesters, the U.S. would respond, stating, “We’re locked, we’re loaded, and we’re ready to go.”
Khamenei’s recent remarks seem to be a reaction to this warning, as he attempted to differentiate between “peaceful protesters” and “rioters” he attributed to foreign interference, indicating that the latter group should be suppressed.
