Despite their geographical distance, Venezuela, Iran and the Tehran-backed Lebanese radical organization “Hezbollah” are linked by common interests and their opposition to the US, but these relations are currently under strong pressure, writes the Egyptian newspaper “National”, quoted by BTA.
Tehran and Caracas have long-standing relations, which have strengthened under the rule of Venezuelan socialist President Hugo Chavez. Both countries are subject to heavy US sanctions, which pushes them towards political, diplomatic and economic mutual support.
Located nearly 12,000 kilometers apart, Iran and Venezuela have built economic and trade ties. In 2022, under Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Tehran signed a 20-year cooperation plan with Caracas during a visit by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to Iran.
From Washington's perspective, Iran and "Hezbollah" are two sides of the same coin. The day after Maduro's capture, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a warning to the Lebanese group, which until recently was Tehran's most valuable ally and part of the so-called "axis of resistance" funded by Iran.
The top US diplomat accused Venezuela of allowing "Hezbollah" to operate on its territory and called on Caracas to sever ties with the group and Iran. "Hezbollah" denies having a presence in the Latin American country, but the United States has long alleged that it uses it as a base for drug trafficking and illegal financial operations.
“Hezbollah” generates revenue from drug trafficking through money laundering, which the Venezuelan government allowed as long as it received a share of the profits,” Matthew Levitt, a former counterterrorism specialist for the FBI and the U.S. Treasury Department and a researcher of terrorist financing, told “The National.”
He recalls that the mass emigration from Lebanon, which began during the Ottoman era, led to the creation of large Lebanese communities around the world, including in Venezuela. “Hezbollah”s military training publications in Venezuela may be “exaggerated,” but in practice the group does not need a physical presence to sustain groups that support it, Levitt notes.
The U.S. actions and international pressure have put ties between Venezuela, Iran and “Hezbollah” under serious strain. Tehran’s regional proxies, including “Hezbollah,” have suffered heavy losses in the war with Israel over the past two years, and the developments in Venezuela coincide with the largest protests in Iran since 2022, sparked by economic hardship and high inflation in the country. President Donald Trump has warned that the United States will intervene if more protesters are killed. A week before Maduro's capture, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Trump and threatened to launch new strikes against Iran.
The dynamics and roots of the conflict between the United States and Venezuela are different from those of the conflict with Iran and its proxies. The question is whether regime change in one country will renew the prospect of war in another, concludes “The National”.