The U.S. President Donald Trump suggested on Monday to replicate in Iran the political transition scheme executed in Venezuela, according to a report by Europa Press citing interviews given to The New York Times, Daily Mail, and ABC.
Trump described the Venezuelan operation as "the perfect scenario, the perfect one," and proposed that model as a roadmap for Iran following the confirmed death of Ali Khamenei on March 1.
Jamenei died in the coordinated bombings between the United States and Israel under the so-called "Operation Epic Fury", which began on February 28. The offensive targeted more than 1,000 objectives in Iranian territory, including nuclear, military, and command facilities.
Trump declared that the entire military command of Iran has been killed following the attacks, carried out using B-2 bombers and aircraft from aircraft carriers.
When asked about who could lead Iran after the regime's collapse, Trump claimed to have "three very good options" but refused to reveal them: "Let's finish the job first." Regarding the Iranian citizenry, he remarked: "They've been talking about this for years, so now they obviously will have a chance." The president estimated that the operation could last up to four weeks.
The human toll of the offensive is significant. Three American soldiers died in the operation. According to the Red Crescent, at least 555 Iranian civilians lost their lives, along with 27 in the northwest of the country.
Iran responded with missiles and drones against Israel and U.S. bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan.
The Venezuelan model that Trump wants to export features Delcy Rodríguez as its central figure, the vice president and "number two" of Nicolás Maduro, who assumed the role of interim president after the January 3, when the leader was captured during an operation carried out by elite U.S. troops.
Rodríguez enacted an Amnesty Law that freed hundreds of political prisoners, and the United States returned 500 million dollars frozen to Venezuela.
Trump highlighted in his speech at the State of the Union on February 25, 2026 the release of former opposition candidate Enrique Márquez, whose reunion with his niece was celebrated in Congress.
However, the Venezuelan transition is not without tensions. María Corina Machado, Nobel Peace Prize winner 2025, announced her return to Venezuela in a few weeks to drive what she described as an "orderly, sustainable, and unstoppable" process. The interim government of Rodríguez warned that Machado will have to answer to the Justice system for alleged support of foreign interventions.
Trump's advisors have alerted about the cultural and historical differences between Venezuela and Iran that complicate the direct application of the model. The internal Iranian opposition is considered weak and divided, which poses an obstacle to replicating the framework. The operation also removed most potential candidates to succeed Khamenei, leaving a power vacuum without a clear transitional figure like Rodríguez represented in Venezuela.
Cuba appears as the next target in the strategy of the Trump administration. Secretary of State Marco Rubio maintains "very high-level" contacts with the Cuban regime, and Trump described his approach towards the island as a friendly and controlled takeover, labeling Cuba as "a failed nation that has no money or oil and needs the help of the United States." The strategy includes an energy lock with tariffs on countries supplying crude oil to the island and the interception of oil tankers by the Coast Guard.
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