Mike Pompeo: Next step for Venezuela, and Iran, is a US push for Democracy

America and the world are safer today thanks to the bold actions of President Trump and his team in Venezuela.Exactly six years to the day after we took out Iranian Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani (an operation I had the privilege to help lead as Secretary of State), the President and his team neutralized another threat to America by capturing Venezuelan dictator and indicted narco-terrorist Nicolas Maduro. Let’s be clear: Maduro is a fugitive of American justice who stole two elections and is not the legitimate ruler of Venezuela; that honor belongs to Edmundo González, the democratic opposition candidate who won the 2024 election.

This righteous American campaign to bring Maduro’s rule to an end will get Venezuelan drugs off American streets, create the conditions for a safer, more prosperous Western Hemisphere, and advance core American interests. There can be no doubt that Maduro’s authoritarian allies are sleeping a little less peacefully tonight – especially in Tehran, where the Ayatollah’s regime may well be on the verge of collapse (another dictatorship that has been weakened thanks to kinetic and financial pressure from the United States). Indeed, the parallel disintegration of these two regimes is a welcome development not just for the Venezuelan and Iranian people, but for America and the entire world.What comes next is critical.

If we get this right, we have the potential to initiate a truly historic moment of positive change in our world.But to do that, we must support democratic transitions for both countries to ensure that stable, sustainable, pro-American governments that represent the will of the people can take root. The authoritarian axis of China, Russia, Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, and North Korea has long cooperated to evade the consequences of international isolation, support one another in their illegal activities, spread instability, and undermine American interests.

In fact, Maduro was playing host to a delegation of Chin...