Iran, Brazil Warn of Consequences of Maduro’s Abduction

According to Khabaronline, an Iranian news agency,  Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira held a telephone conversation to discuss bilateral relations and recent international developments.

The two ministers stressed the need for close cooperation and coordination among developing countries in international forums to counter unilateralism and to uphold international law and the principles of the United Nations Charter.

Araghchi, referring to what he described as a U.S. military attack on Venezuela and the abduction of the Venezuelan president and his wife, condemned the move as a flagrant violation of the UN Charter and fundamental rules of international law.

He warned that what he called U.S. bullying could have dangerous consequences for the rule of law in international relations, saying such unilateral actions seriously undermine the foundations of the international legal order and normalize the use of force.

Vieira endorsed Iran’s position, describing the alleged abduction of the president of a sovereign state as a clear violation of the UN Charter.

He said Brazil would pursue the issue at meetings of the UN Security Council, the Organization of American States (OAS), and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).

On January 3, 2026, U.S. special forces conducted a raid in Caracas, capturing Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. They were flown to the United States, where Maduro is currently held in a New York prison facing charges of “narco-terrorism” and money laundering.

While Washington frames the capture as a legal arrest, Venezuela’s allies have formally denounced the operation as a kidnapping and a direct assault on national sovereignty.