Chavista base denounces Venezuelan government’s stance on Iran strikes

The Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs sparked outcry among Chavistas on Saturday after issuing a statement condemning Iran without explicitly naming the US or Israel.

The Ministry, under the administration of Delcy Rodríguez, condemned the selection of a “military path” in Iran and expressed “profound regret.” The statement questioned Iran’s retaliatory actions, drawing intense criticism from the country’s Chavista base.

Venezuelan officials characterized Iran’s military intervention against targets in various countries as “inappropriate and condemnable,” thereby calling into question the Tehran government’s right to self-defense.

The statement could not be found on the Instagram or Telegram accounts of Foreign Minister Yván Gil, nor on the Ministry’s own official channels. The Ministry subsequently removed the statement from circulation entirely.

However, a digital screenshot of the document was published on Telesur’s English-language X account.

According to analysts, the tone of the communiqué stands in stark contradiction to the strategic relationship forged between Venezuela and Iran since the inception of the Bolivarian Revolution.

Some suggest that this may signal a growing Zionist influence within the Venezuelan government following the US bombing of Venezuela on January 3 and the abduction of President Nicolás Maduro.

However, many Venezuelans draw a distinction between “Chavismo” and the current government, arguing that Chavismo represents a movement far larger than the existing authorities.

For instance, the Alexis Vive Patriotic Force, a unified Chavista grassroots organization based in Caracas’ 23 de Enero neighborhood, issued a statement on Saturday that it claimed “better reflects the true sentiments of the Chavista people regarding the imperialist-Zionist aggression.”

The statement read as follows:

“The Alexis Vive Patriotic Force unequivocally condemns and rejects the military assault launched by the US and ‘Israel’ against the Islamic Republic of Iran on February 28, 2026. This brutal attack is not an isolated incident; it is the latest link in a chain of continuous imperialist aggression against peoples who refuse to submit and who defend their sovereignty against plunder and colonial domination.

On the morning of February 28, imperialist-Zionist forces launched direct bombardments against Tehran and other Iranian regions, deliberately striking civilian and military targets in an attempt to break the will of a people who symbolize honor and resistance against imperialism.

Far from posing a threat, Iran serves as an example through its defense of sovereignty, its international solidarity, and its support for the Palestinians in their historic struggle against colonial Zionism.

This attack is nothing more than another attempt to impose regime change, weaken Iran’s right to self-determination, and redraw the political map of West Asia to serve the strategic interests of Washington and Tel Aviv. This genocidal logic has left millions of victims; Iraq, Libya, Syria, and Palestine are proof of this criminal model of imperialist-Zionist aggression.

Iran is resisting. The Iranian people and their armed forces have risen up against open aggression, defending their land, culture, history, and their right to exist freely without foreign interference. This stance serves as an example of anti-imperialist honor against the expansionism that seeks to impose its hegemony by force.

Stay strong, Iran! No to Zionism! No to imperialism! For the sovereignty of the peoples! Fatherland or death! We shall overcome!”