India, Jan. 7 -- John Bolton, former National Security Advisor (NSA) of the United States, said what caught Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's attention more than anything else was the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by the US after dramatic strikes last week.

Iran's Khamenei and US President Donald Trump do not see eye to eye over well-known reasons - Washington's opposition of Iranian nuclear ambitions - which prompted a full-blown escalation between the two countries last year when the United States hit several nuclear facilities in the Islamic country.

Iran is currently facing widespread protests which have led to several deaths and a warning by Trump of US intervention, which Khamenei retorted to by calling...