Recent developments in Venezuela may be part of a broader strategy pursued by US President Donald Trump, with Iran emerging as one of its primary targets. This view was expressed by political analyst Robert Margaryan.
According to him, Washington actively sought last year to weaken the influence of Iran’s regional allies — Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, and the Houthis in Yemen. Now Venezuela, a key economic partner of Iran, has effectively come under US control, delivering a serious economic blow to Tehran.
Economic ties between Venezuela and Iran date back to the era of Hugo Chávez and continued under President Nicolás Maduro. Iran made large-scale investments in Venezuela’s oil sector through oil-for-goods exchange schemes. These investments, estimated at $2–3 billion, have now largely lost their value as Venezuela has shifted into the US sphere of influence.
For Iran, this represents not only direct financial losses but also a disruption of its broader economic strategy in the region. Margaryan believes that the Venezuelan case may serve as a prelude to larger-scale actions, potentially targeting other countries, including Iran.
He recalls that Trump has repeatedly warned Tehran that if force is used to suppress domestic protests, the United States could intervene under the pretext of protecting demonstrators. At the same time, replicating the Venezuelan scenario in Iran would be far more difficult due to the country’s territorial and military characteristics.
Nevertheless, Margaryan notes that Trump’s unpredictability — previously demonstrated, including in actions related to Israel — makes it impossible to rule out any potential scenario entirely.