Iran's Comments Anger Venezuela, Ambassador Summoned

The Venezuelan government summoned Iran’s ambassador, Ali Chegini, a long-standing ally of the country, on Tuesday (28 July) local time. The summons was intended to protest remarks by Iranian authorities considered ‘demeaning and inappropriate’.

‘The Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Venezuela was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela to receive a protest note over demeaning and inappropriate statements directed at Venezuelan institutions and authorities,’ the Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement, as reported by AFP on Wednesday (29 July 2026).

Venezuelan authorities did not elaborate on the remarks from Iran deemed demeaning and inappropriate.

However, a video circulating online shows that the Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, recently said that Iran ‘is not Venezuela’ in the context of negotiations with the United States (US).

The strain in relations between Caracas and Tehran could mark a turning point for the two oil-rich nations. Venezuela and Tehran have hitherto been steadfast allies and trading partners, particularly since President Hugo Chavez came to power in 1999.

Chavez, who championed anti-imperialist sentiment and hostility towards the ‘Yankee empire’, drew Venezuela closer to Iran and strengthened ties between the two countries through their common enemy, the United States.

Beyond shared ideology, the two countries have forged numerous high-profile agreements in energy, mining, health and education over the past 30 years.

When Venezuela was gripped by a severe economic crisis in 2020, Iran shipped 1.5 million barrels of petrol because Caracas was unable to refine its own crude oil. In 2025, Tehran sent more than two million doses of polio and hepatitis vaccines when Venezuela struggled to purchase medicines due to US sanctions.

However, Venezuela’s new government — formed after the US ousted the country’s leader, Nicolas Maduro, in a military operation in January — may seek to win favour with Washington by adopting a different approach towards Iran.