Venezuelan scenario in relations with Iran may be a signal, but not a direct plan of action – Rezazade

Recent geopolitical events — in particular, US President Donald Trump’s statements on supporting anti-government protests in Iran and the reaction to the situation in Venezuela — encourage comparisons between the two countries.

During large-scale protests in Iran, which continue against the backdrop of an economic crisis and a brutal crackdown on protesters, some analysts are drawing attention to the Venezuelan case, where the US carried out an unexpected operation that ended with a change in the situation in Caracas and significantly influenced the domestic politics of this country.

International expert and first vice president of the Iranian opposition in Washington, Ali Reza Rezazade, believes that the situation with Iran and Venezuela has certain strategic parallels, but a direct transfer of the scenario from Caracas to Tehran is unlikely.

“The real significance of the Venezuelan example is not that it should become a direct model for Iran, but that it serves as a signal of how the United States can act decisively against regimes that it considers criminalized and threatening,” Rezazade notes.

According to him, Iran has a much more complex internal political and military structure than Venezuela, and the military and ideological elites here are much more deeply integrated into the state. Therefore, a complete and rapid removal of the Iranian leadership, as in what happened in Venezuela, is unlikely. Instead, Rezazadeh emphasizes that the Caracas case is becoming an important political signal: it demonstrates that the United States is ready to use a wider range of tools — from sanctions and political pressure to support for protest movements — against regimes that suppress domestic protest.

The expert also draws attention to the fact that the current events in Iran are much broader than ordinary protests: they have covered all the provinces of the country, including nationwide strikes and large-scale clashes with the regime. This creates unique pressure on the authorities, which are dealing with internal discontent, international sanctions and foreign policy.

“A comparison with Venezuela shows that not only forceful, but also political ways of resolving conflicts are possible. But Iran is not just an authoritarian regime. It is a state with a significant military and security infrastructure that will not give up easily. Therefore, we may not only be talking about direct intervention, but about a combination of internal pressure, international isolation and strategic decisions by the West,” Rezazade concludes.