Trump: We Do Not Rule Out the Option of Military Action Against Venezuela

SadaNews - President Donald Trump stated that he does not rule out the possibility of conducting military operations against Venezuela, following his directive to seize all sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers.

In a phone interview with NBC News today, Friday, he said that he does not dismiss the option of military action against Venezuela, hinting at the possibility of confiscating more oil tankers.

When asked about the timing of such actions, Trump replied, "It depends on the situation.".

Trump did not answer a question about whether the "ultimate goal is to overthrow Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro," adding, "He knows very well what I want; he knows more than anyone else.".

On Tuesday, Trump announced that he had ordered a blockade on all sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers.

He had previously announced on December 11 that they seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela "for a good reason" and that they would keep it.

Trump has previously stated that his country might carry out ground attacks against Venezuela, noting that such attacks would begin "soon".

In response, Venezuelan officials described the U.S. seizure of an oil tanker off their coast as "open theft" and confirmed that they would raise the issue with international bodies.

Tensions have escalated recently between the United States and Venezuela, with Trump issuing an executive order last August to increase military usage under the pretext of "combating drug cartels" in Latin America.

In this context, Washington announced the deployment of warships and submarines off the coast of Venezuela, while U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth stated that the military is ready for operations, including regime change in Venezuela.

In response, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced the mobilization of forces totaling 4.5 million people in Venezuela, preparing to repel any potential attack.

The attacks carried out by the U.S. military on boats in the Caribbean and Pacific, under the pretext of drug smuggling, and the direct targeting of individuals on board have sparked controversy regarding "extrajudicial killings" in the international community.