Caracas [Venezuela], January 11 (ANI): Venezuela’s opposition leader Maria Corina Machado on Sunday expressed strong support for protesters in Iran, praising their continued demonstrations against the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
In a post on X, Machado said, “My deepest respect to the brave people of Iran who, at this hour, continue protesting in the streets of more than 100 cities in that country, despite the brutal repression they face.”
She said Iranians were rejecting years of hardship under an authoritarian system, adding that they were pushing back against hunger and oppression imposed for years by a regime that, she claimed, had infiltrated Latin America and associated with criminal systems such as chavismo in Venezuela.
Machado’s remarks come at a time when Venezuela itself is facing a major political moment following the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro by the United States.
Machado is scheduled to travel to Washington next week, where US President Donald Trump has indicated he expects to meet her. Speaking to Fox News, Trump said he understood she would be arriving soon and that he looked forward to meeting her.
Machado also linked developments in Venezuela with the protests unfolding in Iran. She said that with Maduro forced to face justice and the people of Iran challenging what she described as the brutality of an authoritarian regime and its allies, both nations were paving the way to freely decide their future, away from coercion and violence.
She added that her strength and support were with the protesters and expressed solidarity with the families of those killed, saying that the hour of freedom for the people of Iran and Venezuela was approaching.
Meanwhile, protests in Iran have intensified over the past two weeks. At least 420 protesters, including eight children, have been killed during demonstrations over the last 15 days, CNN reported, citing Human Rights Activists in Iran.
The protests began on December 28 with demonstrations in Tehran’s bazaars over high inflation and have since spread to more than 180 cities across the country, according to CNN.
International leaders have increasingly spoken out on the situation. Pope Leo, addressing crowds at the Vatican after his Angelus prayer, said he was praying for peace in Iran and spoke of persistent tensions in Iran and Syria that continue to claim many lives.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb urged Iranian authorities to avoid violence, calling for the release of all unjustly detained demonstrators.
Ireland’s Foreign Minister Helen McEntee said she was deeply concerned by reports from Iran and stressed that freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and access to information must be fully respected. She also called on Iranian authorities to refrain from further violence and engage with demonstrators.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said Israel supports the Iranian people and their struggle for freedom.
The Israel Defense Forces said on Sunday that it is closely monitoring developments in Iran as the protests enter their third week, adding that while the protests are an internal Iranian matter, the military remains prepared defensively and continues to improve its operational readiness.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also expected to hold a limited security consultation later on Sunday, with developments in Iran and Lebanon on the agenda, CNN reported.
Amid the unrest, US officials told CNN that President Trump is weighing several military options in Iran following the deadly protests, after warning Tehran against using lethal force on demonstrators.
Iranian Attorney General Mohammad Movahedi Azad said legal action against protesters would be strict. According to Tasnim news agency, he said proceedings would be carried out without leniency, mercy, or appeasement, adding that the charges against all rioters were the same.
Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian urged citizens not to join what he described as violent unrest. In a televised address, he said there was a clear distinction between peaceful protest and violence.
He said it was the government’s duty to resolve people’s concerns but stressed that it must not allow rioters to disrupt society, questioning what kind of protest created hatred among people.
Pezeshkian added that the United States and Israel were encouraging unrest, claiming they were telling protesters they were being supported.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday told US President Donald Trump to manage his own country instead of commenting on Iran’s internal affairs.
In a message posted on X, Khamenei accused the US President of encouraging unrest in Iran while failing to address serious problems at home, saying that protesters had placed their hopes in him and questioning his competence to comment on Iran.
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