TEHRAN – In a message, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Ivan Gil Pinto expressed his gratitude to Iran for warning about the impact of the US military buildup in the Caribbean and for Tehran’s support for Venezuela’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
This week, as well as in mid-November, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Bakaei warned of the dangerous implications of US military operations for international peace and security in the Caribbean and Latin America. Mr. Bacaei called for respect for Venezuela’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The spokesperson said the threat to use force against the legitimate and elected government of Venezuela is a clear violation of the law and a serious violation of the principles of the United Nations Charter, in particular the principle of the right of States to self-determination and the prohibition of the use of force as outlined in Article 2, paragraph 4.
Mr. Bakuayi reminded the United Nations and Secretary-General António Guterres of their responsibility to prevent violations of international peace and security and the promotion of aggressive unilateralism in the world.
In his message, Venezuela’s top diplomat reaffirmed the solidarity between the Iranian and Venezuelan peoples and Tehran’s unequivocal demand for respect for Iranian sovereignty.
The incident comes amid rising tensions between the United States and Caracas, with the United States increasingly suggesting it may use military means to pressure Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from power.
US President Donald Trump has not explicitly stated that he aims to overthrow the Maduro regime. But this is not the first time President Trump and his cabinet have sought to replace Caracas’ leadership.
The United States has deployed numerous military assets to the Caribbean Sea and conducted deadly military attacks against at least five unknown boats. The Trump administration has claimed that these are drug vessels with ties to cartels and criminal organizations, but no evidence has been presented for that claim. Analysts and activists say the attack is a blatant violation of international law.
Meanwhile, the US government increased Maduro’s reward to $50 million. President Trump also acknowledged allowing the CIA to operate inside Venezuela, but said it was to combat drug smuggling.
The United States also launched its sixth deadly boat attack on an alleged drug smuggling vessel in the Caribbean this year.
“Following the actions of the Venezuelan government in Ukraine and West Asia, the Trump administration seems to have decided to take tough measures against the Venezuelan government. That was not the attitude when Trump first took the oath for a second term. He even had a prisoner exchange agreement with Venezuela at the time,” said Ali Aboutalevi, a Latin American analyst on a popular Farsi-language podcast about world affairs. “Many Americans believe that a socialist system cannot exist near the border, and Venezuela’s vast oil reserves provide an additional temptation for the U.S. government to intervene in its internal affairs.”