Published on: Jan 07, 2026 11:10 am IST
Iran’s Khamenei and US President Donald Trump do not see eye to eye over well-known reasons – Washington’s opposition of Iranian nuclear ambitions.
John Bolton, former National Security Advisor (NSA) of the United States, said what caught Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s attention more than anything else was the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by the US after dramatic strikes last week.
Iran’s Khamenei and US President Donald Trump do not see eye to eye over well-known reasons – Washington’s opposition of Iranian nuclear ambitions – which prompted a full-blown escalation between the two countries last year when the United States hit several nuclear facilities in the Islamic country.
Iran is currently facing widespread protests which have led to several deaths and a warning by Trump of US intervention, which Khamenei retorted to by calling him a “ranting American”.
‘Maduro’s capture caught Khamenei’s attention’
Former US National Security Advisor John Bolton suggested that the Iranian regime is “coming apart”, amid the “continuing, expanding” anti-regime demonstrations, and that the capture of deposed leader Nicolas Maduro “probably caught the Ayatollah’s attention more than anything else.”
“What probably caught the Ayatollah’s attention more than anything else was the capture of Maduro. They should be worried. But I think it’s better to act rather than engage in rhetoric, as Trump does… in Iran, the anti-regime demonstrations are continuing and expanding. There are indications that at the top of the Iranian regime, it’s really beginning to come apart…,” Bolton said, speaking to ANI news agency.
“This is a time when the US and others should consult the Iranian opposition and ask what they can do to help… Let the people of Iran decide what kind of government they want,” he added.
Security forces in Iran have been clashing with protesters during the demonstrations triggered by the rising cost of living and Iranian currency rial falling to record lows.
Violence surrounding the protests has killed at least 36 people with authorities detaining more than 2,000 others, Associated Press reported, citing activists.
In Venezuela, meanwhile, US carried out surprise strikes in the early hours of Saturday targeting sites in Caracas and several other cities, an operation in which it captured Venezuelan President Maduro along with his wife over allegations of “narco-terrorism”.
