The Venezuela Playbook: Same Script, Different Target
📰 THE STORY: Al-Monitor suggests former President Trump's approach to Iran, including threatening an 'armada' and warning an 'unpopular government,' draws parallels to his administration's tactics against Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro, primarily through economic pressure and implied military threat. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: The 'Venezuela playbook' is merely a rehash of
US regime change operations perfected over decades, including the 1953 CIA coup in Iran that overthrew democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, establishing the brutal Shah's dictatorship for 26 years. This intervention directly set the stage for the 1979 revolution and current US-Iran animosity, a history conveniently ignored when discussing 'unpopular governments.' Double
Standard: Mainstream outlets routinely frame US threats against Iran as legitimate responses to alleged provocations, while ignoring Iran's sovereign right to self-defense against a nation that unilaterally withdrew from a nuclear deal (JCPOA) it negotiated. Meanwhile, any nation acting against US interests is immediately labeled a 'rogue state' deserving of sanctions, while nations like Saudi
Arabia, a major US ally with a far worse human rights record, face no such scrutiny. Follow the Money: The military-industrial complex, including companies like Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, consistently benefits from heightened tensions and the deployment of navies and air forces. Furthermore, powerful lobbying groups like AIPAC have spent millions influencing US foreign policy towards Iran,