Whether US President Donald Trump and his administration intended or not to add a warning to the Iranian regime as a side effect to Saturday's capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Islamic Regime officials will likely interpret the US military operation as such.
Iran, a longtime ally of Venezuela, has been suffering from civil unrest since Sunday amid a dramatically weakening rial, water shortages, and a regime with a weakened image after the 12-day war with the US and Israel. Riots and protests have persisted as the Islamic regime has cracked down, but in response to the security forces' tightening grip, Trump has issued aggressive warnings.
Trump cautioned Iran on Truth Social on Friday that if its security forces killed protesters, "the United States of America will come to their rescue."
"We are locked and loaded and ready to go," wrote the US president.
These remarks came just two days after Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and noted that if Iran was indeed "behaving badly" by continuing to develop nuclear and ballistic missile programs, "we'll knock them down. We'll knock the hell out of them."
Such warnings, coupled with a tacit demonstration of Trump's willingness to use military force and even regime change, would give any hostile country pause, but coincidental or not, the Maduro operation fell on the six-year anniversary of Trump's assassination of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani. The operation and the sortie to destroy Iranian nuclear facilities were referenced by Trump in a Saturday briefing as campaigns comparable to the Maduro raid.
"This was one of the most stunning effective and powerful displays of American military might and competence in American history, and if you think about it, there have been other good ones, like the attack on Soleimani, the attack on [ISIS founder Abu Bakr] Al Baghdadi, and the obliteration and decimation of the Iran nuclear sites just recently in the operation known as Midnight Hammer," said Trump.
The intentional or unintentional messages in the Maduro operation have not been missed by Israeli officials, who have verbalized the omens in the pillars of smoke in Caracas.
"The regime in Iran should pay close attention to what is happening in Venezuela," Yesh Atid leader said on X on Saturday.
US's Venezuela op. delivered blow to 'global axis of evil,' sent 'clear message' to Khamenei
Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli also said in a statement that the operation delivered a blow to the "global axis of evil" and sent a "clear message" to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
"Maduro did not run a country, he ran a crime and drug empire that directly fueled Hezbollah and Iran," Chikli said Saturday night. "The president's decisive steps have proven once again that strong leaders are the only way to defeat dictators."
According to Maariv, Commanders for Israel's Security, an NGO composed of more than 550 retired senior officials, also assessed that "The American action in Venezuela is a warning to the regime in Iran."
The flurry of statements by Iranian officials on Saturday may indicate increased concern, seeing a reminder that Trump is not all bluster when it comes to dealing with his enemies.
The Iranian MFA issued a statement criticizing the US military operation in Venezuela as a " blatant violation of the country’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity," and called on the United Nations to condemn Washington.
Following the Saturday raid capturing Maduro, Khamenei's X account posted a series of remarks, after silence for several days.
"What’s important is when one realizes an enemy wants to force something on one's govt. [sic] or nation with false claims, they must stand firmly against that enemy. We won’t give in to them. With reliance on God & confidence in the people’s support, we’ll bring the enemy to its knees," wrote Khamenei's account. "That ranting American sits there talking about the Iranian nation, spewing a combination of slander and promises. False promises! Deception!"
Khamenei reminded that the US had prepared for war with his country while negotiating on its nuclear program, and described how "soft warfare" could be used to demoralize populations.
Even if Trump had never made any of his statements regarding Iran, and the attack were on a different day, the decapitation of an ally still spells trouble for the Islamic Regime. Iran had invested military infrastructure in Venezuela, with a drone manufacturing facility and a Hezbollah training base. The Iranian proxy has also used the South American country as a hub for its illicit financial network. Iran and Venezuela saw almost three billion dollars in trade in 2023. Tehran exported petroleum to Caracas and supported its own oil industry, particularly in evading sanctions. With Maduro gone, those investments are now in question, and when a country is in financial dire straits, hope and despair alone can chart courses.
With such investments into Venezuela by Iran, the US's removal of an important asset is, as Chikli noted, a blow to the "axis of resistance." Regardless if a message was meant for Iran by capturing Maduro, Iran is already feeling the sting.