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Trump’s abduction of Maduro escalates concerns over potential war with Iran
Washington, DC – Hours after the United States announced Nicolas Maduro’s abduction, Israeli politician Yair Lapid rebuked Tehran by saying, “The regime in Iran should pay close attention to what is happening in Venezuela.”
The forcible removal of Maduro from power came less than a week after US President Donald Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and threatened to launch new strikes against Iran.
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Although Washington’s tensions with Caracas and Tehran have different roots and dynamics, analysts say Trump’s move against Maduro raises the prospects of war with Iran.
The National Iranian American Council (NIAC) president Jamal Abdi said, “A new lawlessness makes everything less stable and war more likely.”
It’s difficult to imagine how this gives the many actors who are pushing for a new war with Iran, whether Trump agrees to “surgical” regime change or gives Netanyahu US support for similar actions.
He added that Maduro’s abduction could prompt Iran “to do something that triggers military action”, including developing its own military deterrence or preempting US or Israeli strikes.
The US’s actions in Venezuela, according to Negar Mortazavi, a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy, further diminishes Trump’s ability to pursue diplomacy.
Tehran’s attitude toward me indicates that they are not interested in engaging in full surrender negotiations with the Trump administration, according to Mortazavi, who spoke to Al Jazeera.
“So, not much chance for diplomacy at the moment, which then opens the path to the opposite road, that is conflict. Israel, Iran, and the US are currently on a potential conflict path.
Abdi echoed that assessment. “This action reinforces every doubt and suspicion about US intentions, and gives more credence to those in Iran who say engaging the US is useless and]that] developing a nuclear deterrent is vital”, he told Al Jazeera.
alliance between Venezuela and Iran
Maduro was abducted and brought to the US by a US raid after Trump had been expressing his opposition to the Venezuelan government for months.
US officials have accused Maduro of leading a drug organisation, and Trump and his aides have been increasingly arguing that Washington is entitled to Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also emphasized Maduro’s ties to Iran, accusing Caracas of supplying Hezbollah, a Lebanese armed group, with impunity.
Both countries have been working hard to deepen their trade ties, which are estimated to be in the billions of dollars, because Maduro is a close ally of Iran.
So, with Maduro gone, Iran’s small network of allies may shrink further, after the fall of leader Bashar al-Assad in Syria and the weakening of Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The Iranian government quickly blasted the US’s attack on Venezuela and demanded that the UN intervene and put an end to the “unlawful aggression.”
The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a statement that the US’s military aggression against an independent state that is a member of the UN is a “serious breach of regional and international peace and security.”
“Its consequences affect the entire international system and will further expose the UN Charter-based order to erosion and destruction”.
Rubio made the suggestion on Saturday that Maduro’s disappearance sent a message to all of Trump’s rivals.
The top US diplomat told reporters, “He means it when he tells you he’s going to do something, when he tells you he’s going to address a problem.”
But Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei doubled down on his defiant rhetoric after the US raid in Caracas.
In a social media post, Khamenei declared, “We will not give in to the enemy.” The enemy will be brought to its knees by us.
Trump’s threats
Trump met with Israeli President Mahmoud Netanyahu in Florida last week, and he threatened to bomb Iran once more if it restarted its nuclear or missile arsenal.
Trump said, “I’ve heard that Iran is trying to grow up again, and if they do, we have to knock them down.” “We’ll knock them down. We’ll “kill” them in the uttermost way.
In June, Israel launched a military conflict with Iran, killing several nuclear scientists, hundreds of civilians, and top military figures.
The US joined in the attack, bombing Iran’s three main nuclear sites.
The Iranian government survived the assault, despite Trump’s repeated claims that the US strikes “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program and celebrated the victory.
Tehran fired hundreds of rockets at Israel, many of which pierced the nation’s complex air defenses, before the ceasefire was put in effect, allowing Iranian forces to continue firing until the war’s final moments.
Some critics argue that regime change was and remains Israel’s goal in Iran, and Trump appears to be increasingly buying into that objective.
Trump issued a warning on Friday that if the Iranian government kills protesters amid the country’s ongoing but occasionally violent anti-government demonstrations, the US would be “locked and loaded” and ready to attack Iran.
Late on Sunday, he threatened the same thing once more. “If they start killing people like they have in the past, I think they’re going to get hit very hard by the United States”, the US president said.
Could Iran be the site of a government decapitation similar to that of Venezuela?
Abdi of NIAC noted that Israel has already tried to murder several of its top leaders, including President Masoud Pezeshkian, in June.
Trump also repeatedly threatened Khamenei with assassination, and Israeli officials confirmed that they sought to “eliminate” the supreme leader during the war.
According to Abdi, Iranian officials have stated that they have plans in place to prevent the regime from being paralyzed or toppled by the government’s actions.
Given that Iran has the ability to retaliate against US interests and personnel, “launching a “snatch and grab” operation on them would be much messier.”
Venezuela without Maduro
At least for the moment, removing Maduro has not caused a regime collapse in Venezuela.
Venezuela’s acting president, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, criticized the US attack and emphasized Maduro as the country’s only leader on Sunday.
She also suggested that Israel was involved in the abduction of Maduro, a vocal critic of the US ally.
The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has undoubtedly been the target of a Zionist-style attack, according to Rodriguez, who said that “governments around the world are shocked.”
Trump threatened the Venezuelan president, telling The Atlantic magazine, that she would be “very much, probably bigger than Maduro” if she refused to accept US demands.
So, the US president’s plans for “running” Venezuela and taking its oil are not complete yet, and will likely require more military action.
Trump’s preferred model, “I doubt Venezuela can be a “one and done” or “short-term” situation. His style is “he engages in quick shows of force, not forever wars,” Mortazavi said.
She cited swift operations that Trump has ordered, including the killing of ISIL (ISIS) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in 2019, the assassination of top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in 2020, and the attack on Iran’s nuclear sites in June.
The Trump administration is aware that there are no more forever wars to be won by Americans, Mortazavi said.
Trump has already questioned whether Venezuela might be invaded by ground forces.
“We’re not afraid of boots on the ground”, he said. We don’t mind saying that, but we’re going to make sure that the nation is run as smoothly. We’re not going to waste any time doing this.
Abdi said that a long-term US involvement in Venezuela could indirectly stave off war with Iran.
He told Al Jazeera, “There is also the possibility that the US gets bogged down in “running” Venezuela and doesn’t have the resources to start the next Iran war” or to support Israel starting one.
After the US invaded Iraq in 2003, Iran was next on the list, and Trump may not want to pronounce “mission accomplished” yet. We are aware of what took place there.
The oil question
However, some critics, including Republican US Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, claim that a potential war with Iran will help the US if it is able to halt Venezuela’s oil-producing industry disruptions.
According to Greene, “the next obvious observation is that, by removing Maduro, this is a clear move for control over Venezuelan oil supplies that will guarantee stability for Iran’s next undeniable regime change war.”
About 20 percent of the world’s oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran may push to shut down in the case of an all-out war.
Abdi claimed that Venezuelan oil “could theoretically provide some cushion” for the Gulf region’s export losses.
Trump threatens Colombia’s Petro, says Cuba ‘looks like it’s ready to fall’
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In response to Washington’s abduction of Venezuela’s leader, Donald Trump threatened to speak with his Colombian counterpart Gustavo Petro and expressed his concern that the country’s economy would collapse as soon as the country.
Trump made the remarks while speaking to reporters on Air Force One late on Sunday.
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“Venezuela is very ill. Colombia is also very sick, and it is run by a ill man who enjoys making and selling cocaine to Americans. And he won’t be doing it for very long. The US president said, “Let me tell you.”
When Trump was questioned about whether the US had conducted an operation on Colombia, he responded, “Sounds good to me.”
He added that Cuba’s military presence makes it unlikely that it would be a US military intervention. It appears to be a country that is prepared to fall on its own.
Cuba has the power to fall. Cuba appears to be in the fall. Cuba currently has no income, but I’m not sure how they, if they can, manage that. Trump claimed that they received all of their income from Venezuela, specifically Venezuelan oil.
They don’t receive any of it, they claim. Practically speaking, Cuba is ready to fall. And you’ve got a lot of great Cuban Americans who will enjoy this a lot. “
Trump’s remarks come a day after US forces unexpectedly attacked Caracas and Maduro and his wife. Later on Monday, the Venezuelan leader and his wife, Cilia Flores, are scheduled to appear in court in New York on drug-related charges.
Trump insisted that even though Venezuela’s Supreme Court has appointed Vice President Delcy Rodriguez as interim leader, in a statement to reporters on Air Force One.
He also threatened to send Venezuela’s military back to it if it “doesn’t behave.”
Trump has made it known that he wants to strengthen the US position in the Western Hemisphere and revive the Monroe Doctrine, which states that Latin America is a part of the US sphere of influence.
Trump refers to his “Don-Roe Doctrine” as the “Don-Roe Doctrine” of the 21st century.
Cuba says 32 Cuban fighters killed in US raids on Venezuela
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During the US military operation to kidnap and hold Venezuela’s president Nicolas Maduro and his wife in Caracas, Cuba announced the deaths of 32 of its citizens.
On Sunday, Havana announced that there would be two days of mourning for the dead on January 5 and 6, and that funeral plans would be made public.
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At the request of the Venezuelan government, the state-run Prensa Latina agency claimed that the Cuban “fighters” were killed while “carrying out missions” for the country’s military.
After offering “fierce resistance,” the organization claimed that the slain Cubans “fell in direct combat against the attackers or as a result of the facility bombing.”
Cuba has long supported Venezuela’s government and has deployed military and police forces there to support its operations.
Following the US operation, Maduro and his wife have been taken to New York to face drug-related charges. The 63-year-old Venezuelan leader is scheduled to show up in court on Monday.
He has previously denied involvement in a crime.
Venezuelans have been shocked by images of Maduro being handcuffed and blind by US forces.
On state television, Venezuelan Defense Minister General Vladimir Padrino claimed that a “large portion” of Maduro’s security detail was killed by the US attack and that it had been “in cold blood.”
According to him, Venezuela’s armed forces have been activated to protect its sovereignty.
“A lot of Cubans” were killed.
According to US President Donald Trump, “there was a lot of death on the other side” during the raids, he said to reporters on Air Force One on Sunday.
He claimed that “a lot of Cubans” were killed, and that “no one died on our side.”
Trump continued, threatening Colombian President Gustavo Petro, by saying that his impressions of a US military operation there were “good.”
He argued, however, that a US military intervention in Cuba is unlikely because it appears to be a country in which to fall.
Cuba has the power to fall. Cuba appears to be in the fall. I’m not sure how they can continue to do that, but Cuba currently has no money. Trump claimed that they received all of their income from Venezuela, specifically Venezuelan oil.
They don’t receive any of it, they claim. Practically speaking, Cuba is ready to fall. And you’ve got a lot of great Cuban Americans who will enjoy this a lot. “
Since Panama was invaded in Panama 37 years ago, the US’s intervention in Latin America was the most contentious.
Maduro’s disappearance is described by the Trump administration as a law-enforcement operation to arrest him for “narco-terrorism” conspiracy charges filed in 2020.
Trump added that the country’s vast reserves needed “total access” and that a large number of Venezuelan immigrants were also factors in the US’s decision to kidnap Maduro.
Many Western countries are against Maduro, but many questions have been raised about the legality of abducting a foreign head of state.
Left-leaning regional leaders like those in Brazil, Colombia, Chile, and Mexico have largely denounced Maduro’s removal, while right-wing nations like Argentina and Ecuador have largely accepted it.
On Monday, the UN Security Council will meet to discuss the attack. The US has been criticized by China and Russia, both of whom are significant supporters of Venezuela.
Beijing called on the US to “stop toppling the government of Venezuela” on Sunday, calling the attack a “clear violation of international law,” and demanded that Maduro’s safety be top of the list.
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Denmark PM urges Trump to stop ‘threatening’ Greenland
Mette Frederiksen, the prime minister of Denmark, has urged US President Donald Trump to halt his threat to annex Greenland after Washington abducted the country’s leader.
“It makes absolutely no sense to talk about the US needing to conquer Greenland. In a statement released on Sunday, Frederiksen said, “The US has no right to annex any of the three countries in the Danish Kingdom.”
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Trump said in an interview that was released by The Atlantic magazine that “we absolutely need Greenland.” For defense, we require it.
Concerned in Denmark that the same thing might happen with Greenland, a Danish territory, on Saturday, the United States bombed Venezuela and toppled President Nicolas Maduro.
Therefore, I urge the US to halt threats made against a historically close ally, another nation, and other individuals who have vehemently stated that their properties are not for sale, Frederiksen said.
Trump’s most recent remarks were not immediately addressed by the Greenlandic prime minister’s office.
Greenland, a self-governing Danish territory and NATO member, has been repeatedly requested by the US president.
The Trump administration appointed Jeff Landry, the governor of Louisiana and who has a strong anti-annexation support, as special representative to the mineral-rich Arctic Island last month.
Given that the US hopes to reduce its reliance on Chinese exports, Greenland’s strategic location between Europe and North America makes it a significant hub for its ballistic missile defense system.
On her X feed, Katie Miller, the wife of Trump’s deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller, posted the contentious image of the Danish autonomous territory in the US flag’s colors on Saturday.
A single word accompanied her post: “SOON.”
Stephen Miller, who helped to steer Trump’s hardline immigration and domestic agenda, is widely recognized as the architect of many of his policies.
Jens-Frederik Nielsen, the prime minister of Greenland, described the position as “disrespectful.”
He said on X that “relations between nations and peoples are built on mutual respect and international law, not on symbolic gestures that disregard our status and our rights.”
He added, however, that “there is neither reason for worry nor panic.” Our future is not determined by social media posts, nor is our nation for sale.
Jesper Moeller Soerensen, the country’s ambassador to the US, responded to the post on Sunday by saying, “We expect full respect for the territorial integrity of Denmark.”
Soerensen pointedly reminded the world that his nation had collaborated with the US to “significantly bolster its Arctic security efforts.”