Maduro Featured in Iranian Illustration

On May 27, 2020, on the occasion of “International Quds Day,” an illustration of the plaza of the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem was published on the website of Supreme Leader Khamenei under the title “We Will Pray in Jerusalem.” The illustration depicts figures of prominent leaders and officials from the Iranian Shiite axis at the time (some of whom have since been eliminated). Attention should be paid to the leftmost individual standing in the front row, whose figure is only partially visible in the illustration. This is the president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, who had become a very close ally of the Iranian regime. The fact that the Iranians took the trouble to illustrate Maduro as part of the leadership of the Shiite axis is a significant symbolic act with a clear message. That message has become reality in practice, especially in recent years. Iran has viewed Venezuela as an anchor for its activity in South America in general, and as a “backyard” for activity against the United States in particular.