Venezuela’s authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro took aim at President Donald Trump after the latter said he should leave power in the South American country.
During a speech broadcast on public television, Maduro said Trump “would be better off in his own country on economic and social issues, and he would be better off in the world if he took care of his country’s affairs.”
Trump, on his end, said on Monday that it would be “smart” for Maduro to leave power, warning that if he “plays tough,” it will “be the last time he’s ever able to play tough.”
Speaking at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, Trump was asked if the end goal of his military campaign in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, which has included dozens of strikes against alleged drug vessels and more recently the seizure of sanctioned oil tankers off Venezuela, is forcing Maduro from power.
“That’s up to him what he wants to do. I think it would be smart for him to do that. But again, we’re going to find out,” Trump responded.
The remark took place shortly after analysts told The Washington Post that Trump will be faced with a binary choice should he fail to force Maduro out with his current tactic.
That choice would be between forcibly removing him through a military ground operation or backing down, the analysts told the outlet, noting that the prospect of the former scenario could be unappealing for many in the U.S., as well as Trump, who had promised no more wars during his campaign.
Venezuela has been touting support from Iran, Russia and China on the matter. Caracas recently noted that Tehran offered broad cooperation following the latest U.S. seizures of oil tankers linked to Venezuelan crude.
In a statement in his Instagram account, Foreign Minister Yván Gil said the government had received “a full expression of solidarity from the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran” after the United States seized a second oil tanker connected to Venezuela.
Gil said he spoke by phone with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, during which Tehran offered cooperation “in all areas” to confront what Caracas describes as U.S. “piracy” and the use of military force. “Everyone has seen the recent events in the Caribbean, especially the threats, acts of piracy by the United States and the theft of ships loaded with Venezuelan oil,” Gil added.
Moreover, the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Monday condemned the seizure of a tanker off the Venezuelan coast that was headed to the Asian country, and Moscow has also issued messages of support.
Originally published on Latin Times
