Day: January 4, 2026
This rare threat from a sitting US president signals a shift in the tone of bilateral relations. Historically, United States administrations have been cautious in dealing with Iran’s internal dissent, often wary of being perceived as meddling in sovereign affairs. Yet Trump’s public statements, laced with veiled promises of support for Iranian civil society, have been denounced in Tehran as reckless and interventionist. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ismail Bekayi referenced past US behaviour to question Washington’s purported solidarity with Iranian citizens, underscoring a deep distrust rooted in decades of adversarial relations.
The de facto officials in Georgia’s Russia-occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali/South Ossetia regions have voiced concerns and condemned the United States’ military attack against Venezuela and the capture of President Nicolás Maduro on January 3, while Tbilisi remains silent.
Venezuela is among the few countries that recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Tskhinvali’s de facto Foreign Ministry stated on January 3 that the U.S. attack on Venezuela constituted “a gross violation of the UN Charter and the fundamental principles of international law, which may lead to unpredictable consequences for peace and stability in Latin America and the Caribbean, and poses a serious threat to the lives of millions of people.”
While Abkhazia has yet to issue an official statement, its de facto Foreign Minister Oleg Bartsits is reported by local Apsnypress to have “called for an end to aggressive actions by the United States.” His de facto deputy, meanwhile, said the staff of the “Abkhazia Embassy” in Venezuela are safe.
Tbilisi and members of the ruling Georgian Dream party have yet to comment on the matter.
Early on January 3, U.S. forces under President Donald Trump launched a series of targeted strikes in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, and took President Nicolás Maduro and his wife into U.S. custody. They were flown to New York City, where they face drug trafficking and weapons charges. Trump said the U.S would temporarily “run” Venezuela until a permanent successor to Maduro is put in place.
Nicolás Maduro, who has ruled oil-rich Venezuela since 2013, has long faced accusations of repressing opposition groups and silencing dissent. Since Venezuela’s 2024 elections, he has been widely viewed as illegitimate by the country’s opposition and many foreign governments.
U.S. Representative Joe Wilson, a staunch critic of the Georgian Dream, in a post on X praising President Donald Trump and the U.S. capture of Maduro, said, “Now the network of Putin, Iran, Cuba, and the CCP can be unraveled exposing Dictators With Rule of Gun which invade Democracies With Rule of Law! Illegitimate regimes of rigged elections in Georgia and Belarus should now accept fair and free elections!!!”
Following Georgia’s widely disputed October 26, 2024, parliamentary elections, Maduro was also among the few leaders to congratulate the ruling Georgian Dream party on what he described as its “exemplary, stellar victory.”