There Was No Delcy Rodríguez in Iran
The Trump administration's efforts to replicate its Venezuelan strategy in Iran have not succeeded as planned. While U.S. operatives successfully ousted Nicolás Maduro, the situation in Iran proved to be far more complex. The administration's approach of 'decapitate and delegate' failed to yield the desired control over Iran's leadership.
- ▪The U.S. operation to remove Nicolás Maduro was executed without casualties among U.S. operatives.
- ▪Delcy Rodríguez has complied with U.S. demands since Maduro's ousting, including handing over Alex Saab for trial.
- ▪Trump's strategy in Iran involved a military campaign against the entire Islamic Republic, not just its leadership.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Foreign Policy There Was No Delcy Rodríguez in Iran The Trump administration thought it was repeating the Venezuelan model in Iran—when it was doing something much more ambitious and risky. Matthew Petti | 5.20.2026 11:15 AM Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL Add Reason to Google Media Contact & Reprint Requests <img src="https://d2eehagpk5cl65.cloudfront.net/img/c800x450-w800-q80/uploads/2026/05/Trump-Iran-5-19-800x450.jpg" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto" width="1200" height="675" title="President Donald Trump, with background photo of U.S. battleships" alt="President Donald Trump, with background photo of U.S. battleships | Illustration: Adani Samat. Photo: U.S. CENTCOM/Sipa USA/Newscom" /> (Illustration: Adani Samat.
…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Reason.com.
Discussion
0 commentsMore from Reason.com
