And now the regime has to deal with the U.S. spoiling their interests in Venezuela. : )
Yes
“Anyone who had money in Venezuela has already taken it out,” Majidreza Hariri, head of the Iran-China Joint Chamber of Commerce, said on Sunday, amid questions over Iran’s investments following the arrest and transfer of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by the United States.
Hariri said instability in Venezuela had been evident for at least five to six months, leaving ample time for Iranian funds to be withdrawn, and warned against attempts to use the crisis as a pretext to write off debts. He added that the Iran-Venezuela Bank had not functioned as an effective commercial bank in recent years.
https://x.com/IranIntl_En/status/2008082790424948832
Iran Update, January 5, 2026
The Iranian regime appears to have shifted toward a harsher and more coercive crackdown after top Iranian officials began differentiating between “rioters” and “protesters” and calling for crackdowns on “rioters.” Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei delivered a speech on January 4, stating that while protesting is acceptable, it differs “from rioting.”[10] Khamenei added that speaking with “rioters” is useless and noted that “rioters should be put in their place.”[11] Iranian Judiciary Chief Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei similarly called for the judiciary to act decisively against rioters and said that ”this time [the regime] will show no mercy to the rioters.”[12] Mohseni Ejei also stated on X on January 5 that “this time, we [the regime] will show no mercy to the rioters.”[13] Armed Forces General Staff Chief Major General Abdol Rahim Mousavi stated during a meeting with Law Enforcement Command (LEC) commanders on January 4 that the LEC will “put the rioters in their place” with public support.[14]
These aggressive statements by top officials come amid growing reports of arrests and casualties linked to the protests. Iranian authorities have arrested nearly 1,000 people, including minors, and killed at least 16 people since the protests started on December 28.[15] Several media outlets reported that Iranian security forces raided a hospital in Ilam City, Ilam Province, to arrest wounded protesters.[16] Security forces also fired tear gas into the hospital compound and entered the wards and rooms to search for injured protesters.[17] Malekshahi, Ilam Province, in western Iran, has been a main focal point of protest activity and regime repression in recent days.[18] Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)-affiliated Fars News Agency claimed on January 3 that some unrest in western provinces has taken the form of “organized cells” and ”semi-militant attacks.”[19] The IRGC Hazrat-e Abolfazl Unit in Lorestan Province, western Iran, also issued a statement on January 5 and warned that the “appeasement period” toward “elements of unrest” has ended, citing recent remarks by the Supreme Leader.[20]
Iranian officials appear to have considered a less violent approach to contain the protests, but have since shifted toward a harder and more coercive crackdown after Khamenei’s January 4 speech. Three unspecified Iranian officials told the New York Times on January 4 that the Iranian Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) held an emergency meeting on January 2 to discuss containing the protests with “less violence” in order to avoid fueling public anger.[21] The SNSC convened on January 2, before Khamenei’s speech on January 4. Both Mousavi and Mohseni Ejei are also SNSC members.[22] Mousavi’s and Mohseni Ejei’s statements suggest that the regime has shifted toward a harsher approach to suppress ongoing protests, however.
Iranian officials believe that recent US threats have limited their ability to respond effectively to protests. Unspecified Iranian officials told Reuters on January 5 that US President Donald Trump’s threat to intervene in Iranian protests has complicated Iran’s efforts to quell recent anti-government protests.[23] Trump told reporters on January 4 that the United States will “hit [Iran] hard” if the Iranian regime continues to violently target protesters as it has done in the past.[24] One Iranian official noted that some Iranian officials fear that the United States may target Iran after the January 3 US strikes in Venezuela.[25] Another unspecified Iranian official noted that these external pressures have narrowed the regime’s room to maneuver between public anger and protests, and hardening US demands, leaving Iranian leaders with the perception that there are “few viable options and high risks on every path.”[26]
The IRGC reportedly conducted a missile and air defense exercise on January 4 in multiple cities, including Tehran and Shiraz, which suggests that Iran is increasingly concerned about a renewed conflict with Israel after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington.[27] IRGC-affiliated media previously reported on December 22 that the IRGC Aerospace Force launched missiles as part of a missile exercise in unspecified locations in five provinces.[28] Iran reportedly conducted a missile launch in an unspecified location in Ilam Province, near Iran’s western border with Iraq, on December 30.[29] CTP-ISW cannot independently verify these reports. Iran’s reported missile exercises highlight the regime’s concerns about a renewed Iran-Israeli conflict as Iran tries to prepare its air defense systems and missile capabilities. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) established air superiority over western Iran and Tehran by destroying over 40 Iranian air defense systems in the first 24 hours of the June 2025 Iran-Israel War.[30]
An Iranian police officer appeared to express sympathy with some protesters on January 4 by appealing to shared identity. Similar expressions of sympathy could fuel regime fears of security forces failing to contain the protests if these sentiments expand.[58] A video circulated on social media on January 4 showed the officer telling a protester that “I am a businessman myself, a businessman should be in the shop right now… We are all fellow citizens. Let’s respect each other.”[59] The officer’s statement contrasts with the more violent and repressive attitude of security forces elsewhere in the country by appealing to the officer and the protester’s shared identity. It is unclear whether his statements signify broader support for the anti-regime sentiments that characterize the vast majority of current protests.
https://understandingwar.org/research/middle-east/iran-update-january-5-2026/