The Trump administration’s military operation that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is a devastating setback to the South American nation’s long-term ally, the Islamic Republic of Iran, experts contend.

As Iran experiences yet another day of anti-regime protests across the country, Jason Brodsky, the policy director of United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), who has written about Maduro’s nefarious activities, told Fox News Digital that, «Maduro’s capture will be a blow to Iran’s interests in the Western Hemisphere as he was a longtime ally of Tehran under the banner of anti-imperialism and Americanism in the region.»

He said, «How much of a blow it will be will depend on who comes to power after Maduro. Iran and Hezbollah have used Venezuela as an operational hub for terrorism, drug trafficking, and power projection in Latin and South America.»

CARTEL CONNECTION: HEZBOLLAH AND IRAN EXPLOIT MADURO’S VENEZUELA FOR COCAINE CASH

He continued, «Iran had a military partnership with Caracas as well, especially with drones. So Tehran is likely eyeing these developments very warily. Its interests in the region were already weakened after Bolivia’s presidential election, which brought to power a center-right leader who reestablished relations with Israel.»

In November, Fox News Digital reported that the Islamic Republic was backing Maduro just as the Trump administration stepped up military pressure in the Caribbean and expanded its crackdown on criminal networks tied to the regime in Caracas.

Brodsky said, «This will be a strike heard around the world. Iran’s regime will be watching it very closely as President Trump threatened the supreme leader during the 12-Day War. This historic strike adds to the perception of President Trump being unpredictable and risk-ready, which inspires fear in U.S. adversaries and bolsters the credibility of the threat of American military force. This strengthens U.S. deterrence.»

ON MADURO’S ‘TERROR ISLAND,’ HEZBOLLAH OPERATIVES MOVE IN AS TOURISTS DRIFT OUT

Ex-Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (L) welcomes Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro (3rd L) at Sadabat Palace in Tehran, Iran on June 11, 2022. (Photo by Iranian Presidency / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) (Photo by Iranian Presidency / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images))

The Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it «strongly condemns the American military attack on Venezuela and the flagrant violation of the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country.»

Potkin Azarmehr, a British-Iranian expert on Iran, told Fox News Digital that «Every fall of a dictator who is allied with the Ayatollahs is both a boost to the morale of the people in Iran and a setback for the ruling mullahs.»

PROTESTS SPREAD ACROSS IRAN AS REGIME THREATENS US FORCES AS ‘LEGITIMATE TARGETS’ AFTER TRUMP WARNING

The then Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, from left front, Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, gather for the official group photo at the 17th Non-Aligned Movement Summit in Porlamar, on Venezuela’s Margarita Island, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos) (The Associated Press)

He added that, «The Islamic Republic saw its ‘axis of resistance’ fall apart in the region. Now it’s witnessing its partner in crime further away toppled. This will seriously damage the regime’s revenues and resources. Many of the ruling officials must now be tempted to defect before it’s too late.»

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Iran’s axis of resistance was the troika alliance consisting of the now-defunct Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria and the weakened Hezbollah terrorist movement in Lebanon.

Fox News’ Efrat Lachter contributed to this report.

Luego de la operación militar en Venezuela donde fue capturado Nicolás Maduro, el presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, habló en conferencia de prensa y aseguró que sus tropas están “preparadas para un segundo ataque” en suelo venezolano. Además, confirmó que gobernará el país sudamericano hasta que haya “una transición ordenada”.

“Vamos a dirigirlo adecuadamente, vamos a asegurarnos que el pueblo de Venezuela esté cuidado”, manifestó el jefe de Estado estadounidense, y señaló que habrá miembros del ejército de EE.UU. en el territorio. “Estamos listos para volver, si es necesario”, afirmó.

Leé también: Con su ataque a Venezuela, Trump renueva la “doctrina Monroe” y reflota el fantasma de un acuerdo con Rusia

“No podemos permitir que se salgan con la suya”, aseguró Trump. Y afirmó que se está armando el esquema para gobernar la nación caribeña “en este momento”. “Venezuela tiene muchas personas malas, que no deben estar liderando”, subrayó.

Respecto del tiempo que estará gobernando Venezuela, Trump explicó: “Ojalá sea rápido, pero será muy complejo. Hay que reconstruir toda la infraestructura”. “Queremos una región más segura, sin enemigos. Tenemos que tener países estables”, agregó.

Leé también: La primera foto de Nicolás Maduro tras la captura: ojos tapados y manos atadas

En cuanto al ataque en la madrugada de este sábado, el presidente de Estados Unidos indicó: “Se utilizaron las fuerzas aéreas y terrestres. Un ataque que nunca se había visto desde la Segunda Guerra Mundial”. Y señaló: “Fue una gran fuerza contra una fortaleza en el corazón de Caracas para poder presentar ante la Justicia al dictador Maduro. Fue una muestra increíble de la fuerza de Estados Unidos”.

“Maduro estaba tratando de llegar a un lugar seguro, pero nosotros actuamos muy rápido. Igual hubiésemos llegado, no tenía lugar donde esconderse”, graficó Trump. “Tenemos un historial perfecto contra los dictadores. Nosotros ganamos”, añadió.

En la misma línea, Trump indicó: “Todas las bases del ejército de Venezuela quedaron sin poder gracias a la actuación exitosa del Ejército de Estados Unidos que capturaron a Maduro a la noche”. Y ratificó: “Hemos capturado a Maduro junto con su esposa Cilia Flores, ambos tendrán que enfrentarse a la Justicia. Los dos fueron imputados en el distrito sur de Nueva York”.

“Quiero agradecer a los hombres y mujeres que han logrado un éxito destacable con precisión. Hemos visto redadas en este país que no salieron bien, han habido situaciones que nos han dado vergüenza, como Afganistán. Era otra época, estamos operando en colaboración con las fuerzas del orden de Estados Unidos. Teníamos muchos buques alistados en el mar. Ellos sabían que estábamos yendo. Los hemos superado increíblemente. Derrotamos sus capacidades. Si lo vieron, estarán impresionados. Fue increíble de ver. No hubo un solo personal del Ejército de Estados Unidos fallecido, ningún miembro perdió la vida”, manifestó Trump.

“Somos el ejército más fuerte del mundo, con capacidades que no se pueden ni imaginar, tenemos el mejor equipamiento militar del mundo. Si analizamos los buques, 97% de las drogas que ingresan por mar, las detenemos”, dijo.

En otro tramo de su discurso, advirtió al presidente de Colombia, Gustavo Petro: “Ellos tienen fábricas donde hacen cocaína y la mandan para acá. Así que tiene que cuidarse”.

También se refirió a Cuba: “Creo que es un caso muy similar. Nosotros queremos ayudar al pueblo cubano”. Y envió un mensaje al presidente de Rusia, Vladimir Putin, sobre la guerra en Ucrania: “No estoy encantado con él, está matando a muchas personas. Es una guerra que nunca debió haber sucedido. Es una guerra que yo heredé. Yo quiero detener eso”.

The U.S. military carried out a «large-scale strike» on Venezuela Saturday morning, capturing the nation’s dictatorial leader, Nicolás Maduro, who will face sweeping criminal charges on U.S. soil, according to an unsealed indictment released by Attorney General Pam Bondi. 

Maduro, who was elected in 2013 and served as Hugo Chavez’s vice president, is facing charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices against the U.S.

«It’s just it was an amazing thing, the amazing job that these people did. There’s nobody else could have done anything like it,» Trump said of the operation.

REPUBLICANS LINE UP BEHIND TRUMP AFTER US STRIKES VENEZUELA, MADURO ARRESTED: ‘CHANGED THE COURSE OF HISTORY’

The unsealed indictment focuses on how Maduro allegedly enriched himself and «political elites» by reportedly partnering with vicious gangs and drug cartels that have established syndicates across the Western Hemisphere, including in the U.S., such as New York. The indictment lists six individuals as defendants, including Maduro, his wife, his son and Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, the leader of a vicious Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua. 

The indictment alleges that Maduro «sits atop a corrupt, illegitimate government that, for decades, has leveraged government power to protect and promote illegal activity, including drug trafficking.»

President Donald Trump has railed against drug cartels for spreading deadly narcotics such as fentanyl in U.S. communities, leading to hundreds of thousands of overdose deaths since 2000. Trump has directed his ire at gangs such as Tren de Aragua, which Trump designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization last year. 

The indictment accuses Maduro and his co-conspirators — including Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and former Interior Minister Ramón Rodríguez Chacín — of partnering with narco-terrorists, including the Tren de Aragua gang and its leader, to distribute cocaine since at least 1999.

FROM BUS DRIVER TO DICTATOR: NICOLÁS MADURO’S RISE AND FALL IN VENEZUELA

«In sum, MADURO MOROS and his co-conspirators have, for decades, partnered with some of the most violent and prolific drug traffickers and narco-terrorists in the world, and relied on corrupt officials throughout the region, to distribute tons of cocaine to the United States,» the indictment states. 

In this handout photo provided by the Salvadoran government, guards escort inmates allegedly linked to criminal organizations at CECOT prison on March 16, 2025 in Tecoluca, El Salvador. The Trump administration deported 238 alleged members of the Venezuelan criminal organizations ‘Tren De Aragua’ and MS-13. (Salvadoran Government via Getty Images)

The indictment alleges that Maduro «participates in, perpetuates, and protects a culture of corruption in which powerful Venezuelan elites enrich themselves through drug trafficking and the protection of their partner drug traffickers.» The indictment describes that defendants worked in coordination with cartels and gangs such as Mexico’s the Zetas, Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, Colombian group ELN, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia—People’s Army, and Tren de Aragua. 

«TdA has expanded its criminal network throughout the Western Hemisphere and established a presence in the United States, including New York,» the indictment said. «TdA’s criminal activities include human smuggling and other illicit acts. TdA has developed additional revenue sources through a range of other criminal activities, including drug trafficking, firearms trafficking, commercial sex trafficking, kidnapping, robbery, theft, fraud, and extortion. TdA members also commit murder, assault, and other acts of violence to enforce and further the organization’s criminal activities.»

MADURO SAYS VENEZUELA IS ‘READY’ TO MAKE DEAL WITH US ON DRUGS AND OIL AFTER MILITARY STRIKES

Trump has repeatedly accused Maduro of working with cartels, while underscoring how the foreign gangs have infiltrated the U.S. and spread violence and addiction. 

President Donald Trump speaks to a gathering of top U.S. military commanders at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, in Quantico, Va. (Evan Vucci/AP Photo)

«TdA operates in conjunction with Cártel de los Soles, the Nicolás Maduro regime-sponsored, narco-terrorism enterprise based in Venezuela, and commits brutal crimes, including murders, kidnappings, extortions, and human, drug, and weapons trafficking,» Trump wrote in a March 2025 presidential proclamation. 

He doubled down in his press conference on Saturday, warning that «all political and military figures in Venezuela should understand what happened to Maduro can happen to them.»

Venezuela has argued that Tren de Aragua is no longer an active cartel and was effectively wiped out in 2023, Reuters previously reported. 

Maduro and 14 other current and former Venezuelan officials were previously charged by U.S. federal prosecutors in 2020 on narco-terrorism, corruption and drug trafficking allegations. The January 2025 indictment expands on the 2020 document, including adding Maduro’s son and wife as defendants. 

The Venezuelan government said in a statement following the Saturday strike that «the civilian and military localities of the city of Caracas, capital of the Republic, and the states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira» were impacted by the attack.

The nation accused the U.S. of committing a «very serious military aggression» against Venezuela and carrying out «imperialist aggression.»

«The objective of this attack is none other than to seize Venezuela’s strategic resources, particularly its oil and minerals, attempting to break the Nation’s political independence by force,» the Government of Venezuela said in a statement. «They will not succeed. After more than two hundred years of independence, the people and their legitimate Government remain steadfast in defense of sovereignty and the inalienable right to decide their own destiny.»

Pictured are allegedly 17 members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang and members of the MS-13 gang, who were deported to El Salvador.  (El Salvador Press Presidency Office/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Trump said on Fox News that Maduro and his wife were flown by helicopter to a U.S. military ship. The couple will be transported to New York City, where the dictator is expected to stand trial. 

«Yes, the Iwo Jima,» Trump said on Saturday morning on Fox News. «They’ll be heading into New York. The helicopters took them out, and they went by helicopter on a nice flight. I’m sure they loved it, but they’ve killed a lot of people.»

The president said he watched the operation from Mar-a-Lago, where he spent the Christmas holiday, and praised the military for its efforts.

Democrats have taken issue with a lack of notice to Congress over the strike, while MAGA Republicans have rallied around Trump’s decision. 

Trump held a press conference from Mar-a-Lago on Saturday, where he said the U.S. will «run» Venezuela until there is a safe transition of power. 

«We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition. So we don’t want to be involved with having somebody else get in. And we have the same situation that we had for the last long period of years. So we are going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition. And it has to be judicious because that’s what we’re all about. We want peace, liberty and justice for the great people of Venezuela,» he said.

HERE’S WHERE TRUMP LAUNCHED AIRSTRIKES AROUND THE WORLD IN 2025: ‘PROTECT THE HOMELAND’

The capture and strike follows the U.S. military carrying out dozens of strikes on suspected narco-boats since September. Trump campaigned in-part on ending the flow of deadly narcotics such as fentanyl from other nations – which has lead to surges in overdose deaths across the last two decades – including leveling tariffs on China to curb the flow of such drugs and strengthening the U.S. borders. 

Democrat lawmakers are increasingly turning up the heat on the Trump administration over its series of military strikes on suspected foreign drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean.  (@realDonaldTrump via Truth Social)

Democrats have slammed the Trump administration over its strikes on the suspected narco-boats, with Trump defending that the U.S. is engaged in an «armed conflict» with drug cartels after the groups evolved into transnational terror organizations. Officials previously argued the strikes were necessary to curb the flow of opioid deaths in the U.S., while experts said the pressure campaign on Venezuela is likely aimed to also oust Maduro as leader of the oil-rich nation.

«We’ve knocked out 97% of the drugs coming in by sea … each boat kills 25, on average, 25,000 people. We knocked out 97%. And those drugs mostly come from a place called Venezuela,» Trump said on Saturday of the boat strikes. 

US MILITARY DESTROYS NARCO-TERROR CONVOY OF THREE VESSELS AT SEA IN KINETIC STRIKES

Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolas Maduro. (Maxim Shemetov/AFP/Getty Images))

Foreign adversaries condemned the U.S. over the strike, including the Chinese Foreign Ministry, which reported Saturday that the country is «deeply shocked and strongly condemns the use of force by the U.S. against a sovereign country and the use of force against the president of a country.» 

Russia, which is a crucial ally to Venezuela, also condemned the strike and capture in public statements. 

«This morning, the United States committed an act of armed aggression against Venezuela. This is deeply concerning and condemnable,» the Russia Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday. «The pretexts used to justify such actions are unfounded. Ideological animosity has prevailed over business pragmatism and the willingness to build relationships based on trust and predictability.»

Bondi warned on X that Maduro and his wife «will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.»

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«On behalf of the entire U.S. DOJ, I would like to thank President Trump for having the courage to demand accountability on behalf of the American People, and a huge thank you to our brave military who conducted the incredible and highly successful mission to capture these two alleged international narco traffickers,» Bondi wrote. 

Fox News Digital’s Michael Sinkewicz contributed to this report.