Iran: US must release kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro

Iran has once again slammed the “completely illegal” kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flore, by the United States, saying the abductees must be freed as demanded by the country’s officials and people.

Addressing reporters at his weekly press conference in Tehran on Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the incident in Venezuela was “highly dangerous” and drew condemnation from many countries.

“Basically, no responsible country and no country with legitimate sovereignty can remain indifferent to such circumstances, regardless of who is affected or in which country it takes place,” he added.

He emphasized that the violation of a country’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity is in no way justifiable and contradicts all norms of international law.

The new precedent will undoubtedly have repercussions for the international community as a whole, the Iranian official warned.

Baghaei noted that the UN secretary general, the United Nations, and the UN Security Council bear direct responsibility for safeguarding the principles and objectives of the UN Charter.

He cautioned that a lack of a swift and clear response will further complicate matters for the international community.

On Saturday, US forces abducted Maduro and his wife from Caracas and transferred them to New York following a military attack involving heavy bombing, aircraft, warships, and commandos. The duo are being held to face what Washington claims to be “drug-related charges.”

US kidnapping of Venezuela’s president ‘clear instance of state terrorism’: FM

Iran’s foreign minister sharply condemns the United States’ military aggression against Venezuela and the kidnapping of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.

During a telephone conversation on Saturday evening with Yvan Gil Pinto, his Venezuelan counterpart, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi sharply condemned the US military aggression against Venezuela and the kidnapping of the country’s president and his wife, describing the move as a “clear instance of state terrorism” and a blatant violation of Venezuelan sovereignty.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry also, in a statement on Saturday, condemned in the strongest terms the US military attacks on Venezuela as a blatant violation of the Latin American country’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity, calling on the UN Security Council to stop the aggression.

Iran pursues ‘fixed, principled’ stance on countries’ integrity, sovereignty

In response to a question about US President Donald Trump’s renewed push to control Greenland, Baghaei said contrary to European countries, Iran maintains a “firm, principled and fixed” stance on the importance of respecting all countries’ territorial integrity and national sovereignty.

He added that certain European countries pursue a selective approach and double standards toward principles of international law and take positions that violate global rules when it come to their interests while remaining indifferent when they deem it inconvenient.

Unlike these European countries, he emphasized, Iran “upholds a steady position.”

“For us, the violation of state sovereignty and the infringement upon the territorial integrity of countries whether in Lebanon and Syria or Yemen and Venezuela, or Denmark and Greenland, is unacceptable and condemned in all cases,” the Iranian spokesman explained.

France’s criticism of US military operation in Venezuela shows awareness of consequences  

The Iranian spokesperson said the criticism voiced by some French officials regarding the US military action in Venezuela reflects their awareness of the potential repercussions.

“European figures who show moral courage and take a stand against this blatant violation of international law are well-versed in history and have learned lessons from the continent’s past,” Baghaei added.

He emphasized that such an approach shows that there are individuals in various European countries who understand the grave consequences arising from the continued violation of international regulations.

France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Saturday said that the US military operation that led to the kidnapping of the Venezuelan president violates the principles of international law on the use of force.

"No lasting political solution can be imposed from the outside", he said, warning that "the increasing violations" of this principle by permanent UN Security Council members "will have serious consequences for global security, sparing no one."

Iran’s Armed Forces will never hesitate to safeguard national sovereignty, integrity

Elsewhere in his presser, Baghaei said Iran’s Armed Forces will not hesitate or compromise when it come to safeguarding the country’s sovereignty and integrity.

Asked about Trump’s renewed threat of launching another act of aggression against Iran under the guise of support for Iranian protesters, Baghaei asserted that psychological warfare and media manipulation against the country are part of the strategy of the Israeli regime and the US to exert pressure on Tehran.

“There is no doubt that the Zionist regime (Israel) and the US are trying to maintain an atmosphere of tension and psychological warfare while keeping economic pressure” on the country, he said.

He once again emphasized that Iran remains vigilant in the face of such actions.

Trump recently threatened Iran in a social media post, claiming the United States was prepared for military action against Iran in support of sporadic protests over the decline of Iran's currency to a record low.

Protests erupted last week after shopkeepers in Tehran temporarily closed their businesses to protest the sharp fall of the national currency.

Iranian officials have acknowledged the economic pressure facing the public and said peaceful protests are legitimate. At the same time, they have warned that foreign-backed elements are seeking to exploit the situation and fuel violence.

Larijani's message was well received: Baghaei

Pointing to a stern warning issued by Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani to Trump, Baghaei said Larijani’s comments were clear and the intended message was well received.

Larijani on Friday warned Trump that any American interference in Iran’s internal affairs would destroy US interests in the region.

He said the US president should understand the consequences of any intervention.

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