Iran International
A vast US military buildup in the Caribbean aims to pile pressure not just on Venezuela but fellow adversaries of the United States like Iran, retired four-star General and ex-commander of US Central Command Joseph Votel said on Eye for Iran podcast.
Votel, who oversaw American operations in the Middle East from March 2016 to March 2019, emphasized in an interview with Eye for Iran that the primary objective is countering narcotics trafficking.
But the show of force could also aim to deter Washington's arch-nemesis in the Middle East, Votel added.
"The presence of a carrier is a huge message that we're sending not just to the region, but to others who would be supporters of Venezuela,” he said. "Venezuela has been a place where ... we've seen Iranian advisors, the IRGC, Quds Force and others for a long period of time who developed a relationship."
"They look for this as an opportunity for strategic competition against us in an area of a sphere of our influence here ... it's going to be mostly indirect on Iran.”
The administration of US President Donald Trump has been amassing forces in the Caribbean in the biggest military buildup in the region for decades.
Washington accuses Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro of narco-terrorism and has offered a $50 million dollar reward for information leading to his arrest. The US strategy remains unclear but appears aimed at unseating the leftist populist.
Caracas and Tehran are sharp critics of US foreign policy and are sworn to opposing US influence in their regions.
“Iran has been a vocal supporter of Venezuela … they obviously have relationships with the Venezuelan government," Votel added.
Iran has bristled at the US maneuvers and says they show Washington's true face.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi this week condemned what he called US bullying and aggression toward the oil-rich South American country, according to a readout of a phone call he made to his Venezuelan counterpart.
Yvan Gil Pinto in turn thanked Iran for its support and vowed that Venezuela would resist US interference.
In a defiant speech on Thursday, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei condemned US designs on Venezuela as a cynical play for its energy wealth which threatens chaos.
“Wherever the US intervenes, the outcome is war-mongering, genocide, destruction, and displacement," he said. "Because of oil and underground resources, they are willing to ignite conflicts anywhere in the world — and this warmongering has now reached Latin America as well."
The Iran-Venezuela strategic partnership dates back nearly 25 years. Since the two countries signed a 20-year cooperation agreement in 2022, they have expanded coordination in energy, security and trade.
Iran’s footprint in Venezuela includes an undetermined number of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps personnel and military advisers.
Venezuela, in turn, provides Iran with access, alternative markets for sanctions evasion and a platform in the US near its borders.
The power of deterrence
Despite those ties, Votel stressed that the US key focus was on Venezuela, which has long been an irritant for Washington in the region.
“What we’re doing right now appears to principally be focused on the narco-terrorism,” he said.
Still, the scale of the deployment matters — and Tehran will not miss the message.
The arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group, supported by 70–80 aircraft and more than 12,000 US personnel, marks one of the most significant American naval postures in the Western Hemisphere since the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Votel underscored just how substantial this deployment is: “We’re talking 12,000 troops. This is more than we had in Afghanistan for the last several years we were there.”
Washington has also conducted roughly 20 airstrikes against suspected drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, killing more than 80 people.
Votel added that while Iran could theoretically respond asymmetrically in the Persian Gulf, Iraq, or elsewhere, Tehran is significantly weaker today than a year ago, with its networks degraded and its security architecture shaken by US and Israeli strikes.
“They’re not in a great position to do that right now,” he said, “but again, we can never count out Iran in any of this.”
The US posture in the Caribbean also reflects a broader strategy of deterrence: using visible military force and the information environment — including openly discussing covert options to pressure Maduro’s government and shape the behavior of states aligned with it.
Votel said that the fact Washington is publicly talking about covert options is itself a message.
“In most cases, we wouldn’t normally talk about covert operations, but in this case, our government has made the decision to do that … to ramp up the pressure on the Maduro regime.”
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Meteorologists say heavy smog will linger over the capital through Tuesday, with fine particulate pollution increasing sharply as calm weather prevents the dispersal of exhaust fumes and industrial emissions.
Officials have urged people to avoid unnecessary travel and limit time outdoors, especially at night and in the early morning when pollution peaks.
The city’s weather bureau warned that without stricter limits on factories and traffic, “air quality could reach very unhealthy levels” and health services should remain ready to respond.
The alert on Friday comes as air quality worsens across several major cities, including Isfahan, Tabriz, Karaj, Ahvaz, and Mashhad.
Recent readings in Tehran placed fine particulate concentrations well above safe limits, posing risks for children, the elderly, and those with respiratory or heart conditions.
Officials say calm winds have turned Tehran into a pollution trap. The Health Ministry estimates nearly 59,000 Iranians die every year from illnesses linked to poor air quality, with economic losses exceeding $17 billion — more than the country’s entire health budget.
Reliance on dirty fuels deepens the crisis
The worsening air coincides with a renewed use of mazut, a heavy, high-sulfur fuel oil, at power plants struggling with gas shortages.
Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi acknowledged the problem, saying the move was a last resort to keep power stations running during peak demand.
Environmental groups warn that relying on mazut — together with aging cars and weak emissions controls — keeps Iran’s major cities locked in a cycle of toxic air and public health damage.
Authorities have advised residents to wear masks, avoid strenuous outdoor activity, and limit vehicle use.
Experts say the combination of outdated fuel systems, traffic congestion, and winter weather patterns means Tehran is likely to face repeated air-quality emergencies unless major reforms — such as investment in cleaner energy and transport — are implemented soon.
According to the Hengaw Human Rights Organization, several reporters and local media managers were summoned or threatened by security agents after publishing reports on the water crisis, which has left some neighborhoods without running water for more than 72 hours.
Security officials allegedly warned journalists against “spreading public anxiety” and forced some to sign written pledges not to cover the issue.
The pressure campaign comes as Iran faces one of its worst droughts in decades, with reservoirs across the country running dangerously low.
Iran’s worsening drought has pushed water reserves in several provinces — including Tehran, Mashhad, Kerman, and Yazd — to the brink of collapse, according to officials cited by domestic media.
Tehran’s Latian and Karaj dams have fallen to historic lows, with the latter holding less than 10 percent of its capacity. The capital now depends heavily on underground aquifers already under strain and at risk of subsidence.
The religious city of Mashhad has entered full rationing, while officials in Kerman describe collapsing aquifers and abandoned farmland.
Nationwide, rainfall has dropped to 18 percent of normal levels, leaving 20 provinces without measurable precipitation over the past two months.
Water specialists warn that if the trend continues, up to half of Tehran’s population could face severe supply disruptions within five to ten years.
Mohsen Biglari, secretary of parliament’s Budget and Planning Committee, said lawmakers had not been informed in advance of the government’s plan to add a new 5,000-toman (4.4 cents per the free market rate) fuel tier for drivers refueling beyond their monthly quotas or without personal fuel cards.
“If people have to buy 5,000-toman gasoline after using their quota, this increase will definitely affect the prices of other goods and services,” Biglari told Rouydad24. “We’ve seen how such policies ripple through the economy before.”
Biglari said even members of parliament learned of the change from the media, despite President Masoud Pezeshkian’s earlier campaign pledge that no fuel price hike would occur “without coordination with the people.”
“Such a major decision should have been discussed with us as representatives of the people,” Biglari said. “While the move may not be illegal, it contradicts the president’s promise of transparency.”
Economic and political backdrop
The government’s new fuel pricing system, announced last week, introduces a third rate at 5,000 tomans per liter for drivers refueling without personal cards or beyond their quota, while keeping existing 1,500- and 3,000-toman rates. Officials say the plan aims to reduce subsidies and curb rising consumption.
The Pezeshkian administration faces mounting fiscal pressure as fuel demand exceeds domestic production, forcing costly imports. The government says the reform will encourage efficient use and deter smuggling.
Biglari cautioned that even limited fuel price hikes could heighten public frustration if introduced without transparency. The warning comes amid memories of the 2019 fuel price protests, which erupted after an overnight price increase.
“Decisions like this, if made without public dialogue or proper study, can lead to social discontent,” he said, urging the government to act “with coordination and careful review to avoid potential risks.”
The resolution was approved with 549 votes in favor, 7 against and 31 abstentions.
Members of the European Parliament said the Baha’is face escalating repression, including harassment, arbitrary detention and property confiscation, and called for the immediate release of all those jailed for their religious beliefs.
"Member states must raise the issue of severe human rights violations in Iran and impose sanctions on Iranian officials contributing to the persecution of the Baha’is," MEPs said in a statement.
The adopted resolution also said Baha’i women face gender-based persecution and account for around two thirds of those detained.
MEPs called on Iran to compensate victims, return seized assets and allow the Baha’i community access to education, employment and services.
Lawmakers criticized the rise in executions in Iran and urged Tehran to halt the use of capital punishment as a tool of political and religious repression.
Fresh wave of hate speech and arrests
The European Parliament’s resolution comes amid a renewed crackdown on Baha’is inside Iran and rising anti-Baha’i rhetoric on state media.
Last month, a hardline commentator on Iranian state television, Ali Shirazi, alleged that the Baha’i minority holds “an unbreakable bond with Zionism,” claiming that “Baha’i and Israel are one and the same.” His remarks followed reports by the Baha’i International Community (BIC) that at least 22 members of the faith had their homes and businesses raided in coordinated operations across six provinces.
Iran does not recognize the Baha’i faith as an official religion, unlike Christianity, Judaism or Zoroastrianism.
Baha'is constitute the largest religious minority in Iran and have faced systematic harassment and persecution since the Islamic Revolution of 1979.
Iranian authorities have long accused the Baha’i community of links to Israel, partly because the faith’s spiritual center is located in Haifa, where its founder’s shrine stands. Rights groups say such claims have been used to justify arrests, confiscations, and lengthy prison sentences.
Nearly three quarters of documented violations against religious minorities in Iran over the past three years have involved Baha'is, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).
