Venezuela

Trump, Maduro, and Iran

America's dramatic capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro has set the stage for the conduct of America's national security strategy in 2026.  It has also raised questions. Was it legal?  Judging from precedents set with the 1990 capture, trial, conviction, and imprisonment of Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega, the ...

Lebanon Could Face ‘Indirect but Serious’ Fallout from Venezuela, Warns Senior Official

A senior Lebanese official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the fallout from Venezuela could have “indirect but serious consequences” for Lebanon, particularly if pressure on Iran intensifies, according to Nidaa Al-Watan.  “The collapse or weakening of this axis does not stop at one country,” the official stated. “If Iran is ...

Iran Condemns US 'Bullying Approach' Towards Venezuela

Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, slammed what he called the United States' "bullying approach" towards Venezuela, a statement said Wednesday, as President Donald Trump ramps up pressure on Venezuela. The United States has deployed the world's largest aircraft carrier to the Caribbean, accompanied by a flotilla of warships, officially for ...

Arrival of US Aircraft Carrier Fuels Venezuelan Fears of Attack

A US aircraft carrier strike group arrived in Latin America Tuesday, escalating a military buildup Venezuela has warned could trigger a full-blown conflict, as it announced its own "massive" deployment. The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world's largest aircraft carrier, entered an area under control of the US Naval Forces Southern Command, which ...

Trump’s New Doctrine: Transforming the War on Drugs into a Front Against Iran

The string of U.S. strikes against alleged narco-trafficking boats in the Caribbean is not just a fresh phase in the war on drugs; it is a new operational theater in the proxy war against Iran. The attacks—nearly a dozen over the last month—are the sharp tip of the Trump administration’s doctrine that treats Latin ...

Suspect in 1994 Panama Plane Bombing Arrested in Venezuela

Panamanian authorities announced Sunday the arrest in Venezuela of the suspected mastermind behind a 1994 plane bombing that killed 21 people, mostly Jewish, in an attack attributed to Hezbollah. The aircraft, Alas Chiricanas Flight 901, exploded shortly after takeoff from an airport in Panama’s Colón province on the night of July ...

US Strike on Alleged Drug Vessel in Caribbean Kills Three

A US strike on an alleged drug-trafficking vessel in the Caribbean killed three people on Saturday, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said, the latest such attack in international waters. The United States has deployed Navy ships to the Caribbean and sent F-35 stealth warplanes to Puerto Rico, part of a massive military force that Washington insists is ...

How Venezuela Became America’s Next Battleground — And Why Iran Is in the Room

There has been no formal declaration of war, no vote in Congress, and no rousing call to liberate a people from tyranny. Yet one of the largest U.S. military build-ups in the Western Hemisphere since the Cold War is sitting a few miles off Venezuela’s coastline. Washington calls it a counter-narcotics mission. Caracas fears it is a slow-motion ...

As US Blows Up Drug Boats, Venezuelan Oil Sets Sail

While the American military blows up boats it claims are transporting drugs from Venezuela, observers say tankers shipping Venezuelan oil in violation of a US embargo continue to navigate the very same Caribbean waters undisturbed. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has claimed a massive US military deployment within striking distance of his ...

Venezuela Says Us Military Exercises on Nearby Island a ‘Provocation’

Venezuela on Sunday blasted the arrival in nearby Trinidad and Tobago of a US warship as a dangerous "provocation," amid mounting fears of potential attacks against the Venezuelan mainland. The USS Gravely, a guided missile destroyer, docked Sunday in the Trinidadian capital Port of Spain for a four-day visit, which will include joint ...

Senate Panel Probes Hezbollah Links to Latin American Drug Trade

The US Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control convened a hearing on Tuesday to examine suspected connections between Hezbollah and Latin American drug trafficking networks, as lawmakers warned of the group’s expanding footprint in the Western Hemisphere. Chaired by Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), the bipartisan session focused on ...

Trump Says Venezuela’s Maduro Offered ‘Everything’ To Ease Tensions

US President Donald Trump said Friday that Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro had offered major concessions to ease tensions with Washington and confirmed a new strike on a drug-smuggling vessel, which reportedly left survivors. Washington accuses Maduro of heading a drug cartel and has deployed significant military assets -- including stealth ...