Venezuela’s socialist regime on Saturday released a statement condemning the military operation against the Iranian regime without making any mention of the United States or Israel — but appeared to delete it moments later without any explanation.
The Venezuelan socialists, in an unprecedented move, also condemned Iran’s “inappropriate and reprehensible reprisal” after Iran launched a series of drones and missile attacks against other countries — marking the first time that the Venezuelan regime expresses criticisms of its decades-old ideological ally following the downfall of Nicolás Maduro.
Both local and international outlets reported that the now-deleted statement was first published by Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil. In its text, the Venezuelan regime deeply regretted that, “in a context of ongoing diplomatic efforts and negotiations, the military route was chosen through attacks against the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
The statement, which unprecedentedly made no direct mention of the United States and Israel, asserted that the military operation against Iran triggered in recent hours a “dangerous and unpredictable escalation of events, including Iran’s inappropriate and reprehensible military reprisals against targets located in different countries in the region.”
“This situation, which stems from a disregard for the principles of diplomacy, the peaceful settlement of disputes, and the Charter of the United Nations, places the region and the world in a scenario of extremely serious instability,” the text read.
“The reports and images of attacks on civilian facilities within Iranian territory, which have caused innocent civilian casualties, including underage students at a primary school in that country, are deeply disturbing,” the text continued.
Foreign Minister Gil deleted the statement from his social media accounts moments later and without providing any explanation. Reports on the statement were also taken down across Venezuelan state-owned and regime affiliated outlets such as Telesur, a left-wing propaganda network largely funded by the Venezuelan regime.
At press time, reports on the now-deleted statement published by China’s state-owned outlet Xinhua and Cuban regime affiliated outlet Prensa-Latina remain accessible. Copies of the statement were also published by Venezuelan journalists.
The now-deleted text notably stands in contrast from staunch pro-Iran and anti-U.S. statements issued by the Venezuelan socialist regime during the rule of deposed dictator Nicolás Maduro. Last year, after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a series of airstrikes against Iran’s nuclear and missile infrastructure in June 2025, Gil released a statement describing the operation as an “criminal aggression of Israel against Iran.”
The Venezuelan regime has not publicly commented on the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, confirmed by President Donald Trump on Saturday evening.
Following United States’ arrest of Nicolás Maduro on January 3, the Venezuelan regime, now led by “acting President” Delcy Rodríguez, began cooperating with the U.S. This week, speaking at an official event, Rodríguez referred to President Donald Trump as a “friend” and “partner.”
Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.
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