U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday (4 January) that the United States could carry out further military action in Venezuela following the capture of President Nicolás Maduro. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, he said Washington now effectively controls the country.
President Trump warned that remaining members of Venezuela’s leadership must cooperate with Washington, saying, “We are ready to stage a second and much larger attack if we need to do so.”
He said the United States would work with figures still in power to reshape the country’s institutions rather than immediately install a new government.
According to President Trump, elections in Venezuela would only be held once stability had been restored, with the United States determining the timing and conditions.
He defended the military operation that led to Maduro’s detention as necessary and justified, describing Venezuela as a “narco-terror state” and accusing its leadership of facilitating drug trafficking and mass migration to the United States.
Maduro, 63, was flown to New York and placed in a federal detention centre, where he is due to appear in court on Monday on drug trafficking and narco-terrorism charges first filed by U.S. prosecutors in 2020, U.S. officials said.
Additionally, Trump said U.S. oil companies would invest billions of dollars to rebuild Venezuela’s oil infrastructure, arguing that American involvement was essential to revive what he described as a “dead country”.
He also claimed the United States had the right to make use of Venezuela’s oil resources as part of the reconstruction process.
Reportedly, the Trump administration had already been in contact with Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez.
President Trump said, she was warned that “if she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro.”
Other regional and foreign policy remarks
Additional comments
Iran’s army said it targeted U.S. military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait with drone attacks. Tehran said the operations were carried out in retal...
Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan have elevated their relations to an allied partnership level with the signing of a new treaty during President Ilham Aliyevâ...
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 31st of July, covering the latest developments....
French DJ and electropop musician Kavinsky, whose atmospheric sound shaped a generation of electronic music fans, has died at the age of 50, French authorities said on Tuesday.
Saudi Arabia said its overnight strikes on Iran-backed group targets in Iraq were carried out in self-defence and warned it would take further military action if the groups launched new attacks against the kingdom.
The U.S. military said it completed its latest wave of strikes on Iran, a two-hour operation that hit dozens of targets. Washington described the strikes as a "powerful response" to Iranian missile attacks targeting U.S. forces in the Middle East a day earlier.
A fire involving two gas vessels at Egypt's Damietta port has prompted conflicting reports over whether the incident was caused by a drone strike or an onboard technical fault. Egyptian authorities said there were no casualties.
Thousands of migrants have crossed into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta from Morocco, overwhelming border security and prompting local authorities to call for a national emergency and military deployment.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 31st of July, covering the latest developments.
At least 18 coal miners have been killed and 14 others remain trapped after a powerful methane gas explosion caused part of a mining complex to collapse in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province, officials said on Thursday.
U.S. President Donald Trump has announced what he described as a "historic" agreement to end the war in Gaza, saying his Board of Peace had secured a deal for the phased disarmament of Hamas and all other armed groups in the enclave.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have welcomed Jordan's proposal to convene a meeting of Arab and Islamic countries to address the worsening situation in Palestinian territories, particularly in East Jerusalem.
UEFA and its 55 member associations have unanimously voted to boycott all FIFA competitions if the world governing body proceeds with plans to sell stakes in the World Cup and other tournaments to private investors, escalating a growing dispute over the future governance of global football.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment