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 says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over t...
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas met Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday for talks focused on Gaza, Pale...
Georgia’s Prime Minister says the EU’s inclusion of a major Black Sea cable project on a key infrastructure list is fresh evidence of t...
Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has increased the strategic importance of Bab al-Mandab, raising fears that instability in both waterways could trigger a wider global energy and trade crisis.
Flights at Catania airport in Sicily will remain suspended until early Friday as ash from Mount Etna continues to disrupt air travel, following hundreds of cancellations and diversions over the past week.
Iran and the United States remain at loggerheads over efforts to agree a permanent end to the war in the Gulf, according to a senior Iranian source who said there had been no progress in talks to revive the interim deal agreed in June and define a timeframe to implement it.
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over the strategic waterway and insisting it will not reopen until Washington fulfils its commitments under an interim deal.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 12th of August, covering the latest developments.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas met Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday for talks focused on Gaza, Palestinian statehood and regional security.
Taiwan staged military defence drills on Wednesday as China concluded joint naval exercises with Indonesia in waters east of the island.
Washington’s counter-narcotics push is expanding as Colombia’s new conservative government backs deeper security cooperation.
Meta said it had removed more than 750,000 Facebook and Instagram accounts suspected of belonging to Australians under 16, as the country’s internet regulator weighs enforcement action over its teen social media ban.
Russia has accused Ukraine of threatening global grain supplies after recent strikes on Black Sea agricultural infrastructure, while Moscow carried out a new overnight attack on Ukraine’s major Danube port of Izmail.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment