عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
World

Venezuela Opposition Leader Emerges to Lead Election Marches

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gestures during a march amid the disputed presidential election, in Caracas, Venezuela August 3, 2024. REUTERS/Maxwell Briceno
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gestures during a march amid the disputed presidential election, in Caracas, Venezuela August 3, 2024. REUTERS/Maxwell Briceno
TT
TT

Venezuela Opposition Leader Emerges to Lead Election Marches

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gestures during a march amid the disputed presidential election, in Caracas, Venezuela August 3, 2024. REUTERS/Maxwell Briceno
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gestures during a march amid the disputed presidential election, in Caracas, Venezuela August 3, 2024. REUTERS/Maxwell Briceno

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado emerged from hiding on Saturday to join thousands of supporters protesting in the streets of Caracas against contested national election results.
"Just as it took us a long time to achieve electoral victory, now comes a stage that we take day by day, but we have never been as strong as today, never," Machado told supporters in Caracas.

Machado, who has been barred by President Nicolas Maduro's government from running for office for 15 years, had been in hiding since Tuesday, saying her life and freedom are at risk. Masked assailants ransacked the opposition’s headquarters on Friday, taking documents and vandalizing the space.

Venezuela's electoral authority, blasted by critics as favoring the ruling socialists, proclaimed Maduro the winner in last Sunday's vote, saying on Monday he obtained 51% compared to 46% for opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez. The authority reaffirmed a similar margin on Friday.
The published election result sparked widespread allegations of fraud and protests. Subsequently security forces cracked down on protests which Maduro's government labeled part of an attempted US-backed coup.
So far, at least 20 people have been killed in post-election protests, according to rights group Human Rights Watch. Some 1,200 others have been arrested in connection with the demonstrations, according to the government.
Nations including the US and Argentina have already recognized Gonzalez as the election's winner, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday citing "overwhelming evidence." Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama and Uruguay also concluded on Friday that Gonzalez received the most votes.

Most Viewed

 
 
World

Iranian Calls to Confront Geopolitical Shifts in the South Caucasus

A photo of a previous meeting of the 3+3 group on the South Caucasus in Tehran (archive - Iranian Foreign Ministry)
A photo of a previous meeting of the 3+3 group on the South Caucasus in Tehran (archive - Iranian Foreign Ministry)
TT
TT

Iranian Calls to Confront Geopolitical Shifts in the South Caucasus

A photo of a previous meeting of the 3+3 group on the South Caucasus in Tehran (archive - Iranian Foreign Ministry)
A photo of a previous meeting of the 3+3 group on the South Caucasus in Tehran (archive - Iranian Foreign Ministry)

Tension between Iran and Russia is mounting over the Zangezur Corridor in the South Caucasus, with both reformist and conservative politicians in Tehran suggesting that Moscow is deliberately hindering the revival of the nuclear deal with the West.
The controversy began when Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov urged the implementation of the ceasefire agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia, specifically the provision to open the Zangezur Corridor, which would connect mainland Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan exclave. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared this a “red line” that cannot be crossed.
Disrupting Strategic Trade Routes

Tehran argues that the opening of the Zangezur Corridor would sever a vital trade route linking Iran to Europe. Former Iranian MP Ali Motahari criticized Russia’s focus on the Ukraine war, saying it is disregarding Iranian interests.
Iranian MP Ahmad Naderi voiced his frustration, arguing that Iran’s previous lack of response to Russian actions undermining its national interests has only emboldened Moscow. In a post on X, Naderi stressed that Moscow must understand that strategic cooperation does not equate to compromising national interests, and called on Iran’s Foreign Ministry and military to develop a clear plan to counteract Russia’s “geopolitical ambitions.”
Russian Ambassador to Tehran Alexey Dedov was summoned to Iran’s Foreign Ministry, where he was reminded of Iran’s opposition to any changes in the geopolitical landscape of the Caucasus. This move reflects the ongoing divergence in Moscow and Tehran’s positions on regional dynamics, especially after Russia reaffirmed its commitment to opening the corridor.
Russia and the Nuclear Deal
While the surface-level dispute over the Zangezur Corridor appears to be about trade routes, some Iranian politicians believe it has deeper implications, connected to Russia’s efforts to thwart Iran’s diplomatic engagement with the West and hinder the revival of the nuclear deal.
Former MP Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, who once chaired Iran’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin is launching a “preemptive strike” to prevent any potential rapprochement between Tehran and Washington.
Falahatpisheh, in comments published by reformist media, argued that Russia is using the Zangezur Corridor as leverage to exert pressure on Tehran, ignoring Iran’s “red lines” in regional politics. He claimed that Moscow prefers an isolated Iran, viewing any reduction in tensions between Tehran and the West as a threat to its own interests.
He also argued that Iran has had to make significant concessions to Russia, with the nuclear deal becoming a casualty of the ongoing Ukraine conflict. Iran had reportedly supplied Russia with hundreds of drones during the two-and-a-half-year war, and the potential transfer of ballistic missiles is viewed as a deeply concerning escalation by some insiders.
No Secret Nuclear Program

 

In parallel, Mohammad Eslami, the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, denied allegations of a secret nuclear program.
“For the past two decades, the West has used various tactics to pressure the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) into investigating Iran,” Tasnim news agency quoted him as saying.
Eslami reiterated that Iran had agreed to limit its uranium enrichment under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and placed its nuclear activities under strict oversight, with the goal of resolving any concerns about a potential nuclear weapons program. Despite this, he noted that the US unilaterally withdrew from the agreement, even though Iran had adhered to its commitments.
Eslami further criticized the three European signatories of the JCPOA—France, the United Kingdom, and Germany—along with the US, accusing them of spearheading a campaign against Iran’s nuclear program.