Venezuela summons ambassador of Iran over ‘inappropriate’ remarks

CARACAS - Venezuela summoned the ambassador of Iran, a longtime ally, on July 28 to face protest over comments that were deemed “contemptuous and inappropriate,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.

“The ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Venezuela was summoned to the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry in order to be given a note of protest over the contemptuous and inappropriate remarks made against Venezuela’s institutions and authorities,” the statement, shared via social media, said.

Asked by AFP, Venezuelan authorities did not specify what remarks they referred to, but a video circulating online indicates Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had recently said Iran is “not Venezuela” when it comes to negotiations with the United States.

A chill between Caracas and Tehran could mark a turning point for two oil-rich countries that have been loyal allies and commercial partners since President Hugo Chavez’s rise in 1999.

Hostile to the “Yankee empire” and steeped in anti-imperialist discourse, Chavez moved Venezuela closer to Iran and bonded over their common enemy, the United States.

Beyond ideological compatibility, the two countries have made highly publicised energy, mining, health and education agreements over the past 30 years.

When Venezuela was mired in a massive economic crisis in 2020, Iran sent 1.5 million barrels of gasoline because Caracas was unable to refine its own oil.

In 2025, Iran sent more than two million polio and hepatitis vaccines when Venezuela faced difficulty purchasing medicine because of US sanctions.

But Venezuela’s new interim government, after the US ousted leftist leader Nicolas Maduro in a January military raid, could seek to curry Washington’s favour with a different approach to Iran.

Negotiations to form a new Venezuelan government are expected to begin on Aug 1 under US supervision. AFP