In Thursday’s Venezuelan state TV interview, Maduro affirmed readiness for US discussions “wherever they want and whenever they want,” following weeks of escalating confrontations. He extended overtures to oil and migration issues while sidestepping confirmation of Trump’s claimed US strike on a Venezuelan dock facility; allegedly the first CIA drone operation inside the country.
Intensifying US “war on drugs”
Trump’s campaign has launched over 30 vessel strikes since September 2, killing more than 110, targeting Caribbean/Pacific smugglers.
Wednesday’s action sank two boats, slaying five; Monday’s dock hit sparked “major explosion.” US Southern Command invokes intelligence on narco routes sans public proof, framing actions as non-international armed conflict, drawing legal scrutiny.
Backdrop of sanctions and accusations
Trump doubled Maduro’s capture bounty and eyes Foreign Terrorist Organization label; Maduro rejects cartel leadership charges, viewing strikes as oil-grab pretext.
Experts deem Venezuela a transit point, not prime producer like Colombia. US seized tankers hauling sanctioned Venezuela-Iran oil, branded “piracy” by Caracas; Trump claims Maduro empties prisons/asylums fueling ~8 million post-2013 exodus.
Source: BBC
Also read: Trump warns Iran as protests turn deadly
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