Where the U.S. Has No Formal Diplomatic Relations

After President Trump, along with a number of other countries, officially acknowledged Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country’s interim president, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro broke off diplomatic relations with the United States. U.S. diplomatic personnel had 72 hours to leave Venezuela, as of Wednesday. The South American country has been reeling from economic and political turmoil.

With the severance of Venezuelan-U.S. relations, Venezuela is added to the list of countries that the United States has no diplomatic relations with. Iran and Bhutan are the two countries currently on the list. Bhutan has never formally established relations with the U.S., only holding official relations with India and Bangladesh. The U.S.’s relationship with Iran was cut off during the Iran hostage crisis when American diplomats and citizens were held hostage in the U.S. embassy in Tehran after student protests destabilized the Iranian government. Cuba was on the list for over 50 years, leaving the list in 2015 when President Obama reestablished relations with the nation.