The Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro once again escalated the verbal conflict against the United States. During a march for the 166th anniversary of the Battle of Santa Inés in Caracas, he called on citizens to act as "warriors" and stated that the country must be ready to "knock the teeth out of the North American empire."
According to Maduro, farmers and fishermen must be prepared not only to produce food but also to wield weapons, tanks, and missiles in the event of a conflict with Washington. The regime has insisted for years on denouncing the U.S. military deployment in the Caribbean as a "threat", an operation that the White House claims is aimed at combating drug trafficking.
In his speech, the Chavista leader asserted that there is "a powerful public opinion movement" rejecting the alleged U.S. military aggression, a narrative that his government systematically promotes to reinforce its domestic image.
This coincides with the Nobel for María Corina Machado
The Chavista mobilization took place in parallel with a historic event: opposition leader María Corina Machado received the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, although she was unable to attend the ceremony after spending 11 months in hiding.
Her arrival in Norway represents a new setback for the regime's international legitimacy.
Trump announced the seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker
In Washington, President Donald Trump reported that the United States had confiscated an oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast. "The largest ever seized," he stated. The news was initially reported by Bloomberg, which detailed that it was a vessel sanctioned by the Treasury Department.
The announcement adds to the Trump administration's maximum pressure policy, which accuses Maduro of leading the Cartel of the Suns, a criminal organization linked to international drug trafficking. Since September, U.S. Armed Forces have destroyed more than twenty vessels loaded with drugs in the Caribbean and the Pacific, operations in which more than 80 crew members have died.
Maduro llamó a 'partirle los dientes' a Estados Unidos y luego cantó 'Don’t worry, be happy'
Meanwhile, Chevron continues to operate alongside PDVSA under a special license granted by the U.S. Treasury that exempts it from sanctions.
Maduro entrenches himself and resorts to militaristic rhetoric
In response to Washington's hardening stance, Maduro once again called on his supporters and asked Venezuelans to join the citizen militias. The dictator insists on portraying the United States as an external threat to strengthen his internal control, even though international sanctions are aimed directly at the regime's criminal structure and its ties to drug trafficking.
Maduro llamó a 'partirle los dientes' a Estados Unidos y luego cantó 'Don’t worry, be happy'
In a scene that caused criticism and ridicule, the Chavista leader ended his day by singing the song "Don't Worry, Be Happy", an attempt to counteract with lightness an increasingly tense political climate.
