Venezuela summons ambassador of Iran over “inappropriate” remarks
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Caracas on Tuesday summoned the Iranian ambassador to Venezuela after remarks by Tehran that were deemed "offensive and inappropriate," the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted on social media.
"The ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Venezuela was summoned to the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry and handed a formal note of protest over offensive and inappropriate statements directed at Venezuela's institutions and authorities," the ministry said.
Venezuelan authorities did not specify the remarks when contacted.
However, according to a video circulating online, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, while discussing negotiations with the United States, said that Iran "is not Venezuela."
The diplomatic spat could mark a turning point in relations between Venezuela and Iran, which had been close allies since former President Hugo Chávez took office in 1999.
Driven by his hostility toward the United States and his anti-imperialist stance, Chávez strengthened ties with Iran based on what both countries viewed as a common adversary.
Over the past three decades, the two countries maintained close cooperation, signing major agreements in sectors including petrochemicals, mining, healthcare, and education, although details of those agreements were never made public.
In 2020, Iran shipped 1.5 million barrels of gasoline to Venezuela, which was facing a severe economic crisis and lacked the capacity to refine its own crude oil.
The same year, the first Iranian megastore opened in Caracas, despite US sanctions on Venezuela.
In May 2025, Iran also delivered more than two million doses of polio and hepatitis vaccines to Venezuela as Caracas said US sanctions had made it difficult to procure vaccines.
However, after the US military abducted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on January 3, Acting President Delcy Rodríguez resumed diplomatic relations with Washington, which had been severed since 2019, and began governing under US pressure.
