‘Illegal act’: Iran slams capture of Maduro, vows ties with Venezuela remain unchanged
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "‘Illegal act’: Iran slams capture of Maduro, vows ties with Venezuela remain unchanged")
‘Illegal act’: Iran slams capture of Maduro, vows ties with Venezuela remain unchanged Photograph: (Truth Social/@realDonaldTrump)
Iran called the US capture of Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro an “illegal act,” urging his release. Spokesman Esmail Baqaei said abducting a president and his wife is shameful, adding Iran’s relations with Venezuela remain unchanged.
Iran on Monday (Jan 5) called for the release of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, who was captured in a US military operation under US President Donald Trump. Calling it an “illegal act”, the Islamic Republic’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei said that “abducting” the president of a country and his wife was “nothing to be proud of”. He added that Iran’s relations with its close ally have not changed despite the ousting of Maduro, who was taken to New York to face trial.
“The president of a country and his wife were abducted. It’s nothing to be proud of; it’s an illegal act,” Baqaei said at a weekly press conference. “As the Venezuelan people have emphasised, their president must be released.”
He further added, “Our relations with all countries, including Venezuela, are based on mutual respect and will remain so.” He added that they are in contact with the Venezuelan authorities.
Meanwhile, reports emerged that Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has a back-up plan to flee the country after Trump’s threats amid violent protests in the country. The Times reported that Khamenei plans to escape Tehran with a close circle of up to 20 aides and family, fleeing to Moscow, similar to Syria’s Bashar al-Assad.
On Sunday (Jan 4), Trump warned that Iran would get “hit very hard” by the United States if more protesters die during the unrest in the country that has entered its second week.
“We’re watching it very closely. If they start killing people like they have in the past, I think they’re going to get hit very hard by the United States,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
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The clashes between protesters and security forces mark an escalation in the unrest, which has spread across Iran after shopkeepers began protests last Sunday over inflation and the depreciating currency. The protests have now spread to at least 25 Iranian cities, including those in rural provinces.
At least 12 people, including security forces members, have been killed amid the violence in Iran, according to the official reports.
