Iran’s street protests have been overshadowed by fear and debate over the U.S. seizure of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro. Many Iranians worry a similar operation could target senior figures — including 86-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — though analysts warn such a raid would be far more complex given Iran’s size, military strength, the IRGC and its nuclear material. International responses ranged from warnings and political posturing to calls that Tehran take Maduro’s fate as a signal of escalating geopolitical risks.
U.S. Raid On Maduro Reverberates In Iran — Fears Rise Of A Similar Strike On Khamenei
People walk as shops are closed during protests in Tehran's centuries-old main bazaar, Iran, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran, already grappling with widespread street protests, has been transfixed by the U.S. seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The operation has stoked fears across Tehran that a comparable raid could be aimed at senior Iranian figures — even 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
State media and government officials condemned the U.S. action, while clerics and analysts on the streets and in private conversations debated whether Washington or its allies might attempt a Venezuela-style operation against Iranian targets. The concern has amplified existing anxieties about regional strikes and covert actions.
Public Reaction and Religious Leaders
Within hours of Maduro’s capture, an analyst on state television alleged — without presenting evidence — that the U.S. and Israel had planned to kidnap Iranian officials during last year’s conflict using a team of dual-national operatives. Such claims are notable even by the channel’s standards. At Tehran University, cleric Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Javedan warned worshippers that Khamenei’s life could be at risk and urged prayer: “Someone said he had a bad dream that the leader’s life is in danger. Please pray.”
An interactive map of protests in Iran from December 29, 2025, to January 5, 2026. (AP Digital Embed)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Why a Raid Would Be Far More Complex
Experts stress that Iran differs dramatically from Venezuela in size, military capability and political structure. Iran is roughly twice the geographic size of Venezuela and fields stronger armed forces and internal security services, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which answers directly to the supreme leader.
U.S. planners also carry the memory of Operation Eagle Claw — the failed 1979 rescue attempt in Tehran — as a cautionary tale. Farzin Nadimi of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy warns that any outside actor considering a raid must weigh the unpredictable "day after" consequences, from assassinations and cyberattacks to attacks on shipping lanes.
Another complicating factor is Iran’s continued possession of fissile nuclear material, which raises the stakes for any direct action and would factor heavily into strategic calculations.
A government supporter holds an image of President Nicolas Maduro during a women's march to demand his return in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, three days after U.S. forces captured him and his wife. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Regional And International Reverberations
The Maduro operation has prompted a chorus of international reactions. Israeli opposition figures urged Tehran to heed Maduro’s fate, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referenced Iran’s mass protests without directly linking the seizure to Tehran. U.S. politicians also weighed in: President Donald Trump warned that Washington would "come to the rescue" if Iranian authorities violently suppressed protesters, while some Republican lawmakers touted tougher stances toward Iran.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei condemned such remarks as an “incitement to violence, terrorism and killing.” Observers warn the raid could set a precedent, altering calculations about sovereignty, extraterritorial operations and the security environment across the Middle East and beyond.
What Iranians Say
“God bless our leader, we should be careful too,” said Saeed Seyyedi, a 57-year-old teacher in Tehran, reflecting a common fear that Washington might act as it did in Venezuela.
Many in Iran stressed that while concern is real, the practical and strategic obstacles to a comparable operation are significant. Still, the episode has intensified public debate about vulnerability, legitimacy and the future path of both domestic dissent and international pressure on Tehran.
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