Mapped: Every nation Trump has threatened after seize of Venezuelan president Maduro | EUROtoday

Donald Trump has issued a list of threats in opposition to a number of nations after American troops captured Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro.

The US president has adopted Mr Maduro’s shock arrest with threats in opposition to Colombia, Mexico, Greenland, Iran and Cuba.

Mr Maduro will seem in a New York court docket at 12pm ET (5pm GMT), the place he faces fees of narco-terrorism, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine weapons and damaging units, and conspiracy to own machine weapons and damaging units. He faces a long time to life in jail on every rely if convicted.

As the fallout over Mr Maduro’s arrest continues, The Independent appears to be like at each nation Mr Trump has lately threatened, after his boast that “American dominance in the Western hemisphere will never be questioned again.”

Venezuela

For months, the US has been hanging what it describes as Venezuelan “drug boats”, which it claims are carrying narcotics to the US.

Since the primary strike in September, Mr Trump has ordered an unprecedented buildup of navy belongings close to the nation’s Caribbean coast and issued a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers.

The US seized Mr Maduro and his spouse in a navy operation Saturday, capturing them of their residence on a navy base.

Colombia

Mr Trump has warned Colombian president Gustavo Petro – certainly one of his fiercest critics on the worldwide stage – that the South American nation may very well be the following to face US navy motion.

The US sanctioned Mr Petro final autumn after Mr Trump blamed him for failing to curb drug trafficking within the nation and permitting cartels to “flourish”.

Colombia has turn out to be a refuge for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who’ve fled Mr Maduro’s rule in recent times.

“Colombia is very sick, too, run by ‍a ‌sick man, who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States, ‍and he’s not going to be doing it very long,” he informed reporters whereas on board Air Force One.

When requested by NewsNation’s Libbey Dean whether or not the US would perform a navy operation, the US president mentioned: “It sounds good to ‍me. You know why? Because they kill a lot of people.”

Mexico

Mexico has lengthy been a goal of Mr Trump’s anger, with the US president blaming the federal government for failing to take care of drug cartels and forestall the move of migrants throughout the border.

Drugs are “pouring” via Mexico, Mr Trump mentioned final yr, describing the cartels as “very strong”.

He mentioned that Mexico, which has been led by left-wing president Claudia Sheinbaum since October 2024, “has to get their act together” or “we’re going to have to do something”.

Mr Trump claims to have provided Ms Sheinbaum the US navy’s assist to root out drug cartels.

On Monday, Ms Sheinbaum mentioned that Mexico is a sovereign nation and was cooperating with the US on drug trafficking and safety.

“We categorically reject intervention in the internal matters of other countries,” she mentioned.

Greenland

Fears are rising that Mr Trump may order US navy motion in Greenland after repeated threats to grab the territory.

“We do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defence,” Mr Trump informed The Atlantic journal on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Katie Miller, the spouse of certainly one of Mr Trump’s senior aides, Stephen Miller, posted an image on social media of Greenland within the colors of the American flag alongside the phrase “soon” following the Venezuela operation.

Mr Trump’s want for a US takeover of the mineral-rich self-governing Danish territory has been no secret since he resumed workplace in January final yr.

On Monday, Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, mentioned in an announcement that “the US has no right to annex any of the three nations in the Danish kingdom”, of which Greenland is one.

Iran

Mr Trump has lengthy thought-about Iran’s regime certainly one of America’s predominant adversaries. Last June, the US joined an Israeli bombing marketing campaign geared toward destroying the nation’s nuclear programme.

Last week, he weighed in on the continuing protests in Iran over the price of dwelling, during which no less than eight individuals have reportedly been killed by police. Protesters have referred to as for the overthrow of the supreme chief, Ayatollah Khamenei.

“If Iran shots [sic] and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue … We are locked and loaded and ready to go,” he wrote on Truth Social.

It just isn’t clear how the US may assist the protesters. Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Mr Trump solely mentioned: “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.”

Cuba

US secretary of state Marco Rubio mentioned on Sunday that he believes Cuba is “in a lot of trouble” following the seize of Mr Maduro, a key ally.

“I’m not going to talk to you about what our future steps are going to be and our policies are going to be right now in this regard,” Mr Rubio informed NBC. “But I don’t think it’s any mystery that we are not big fans of the Cuban regime, who, by the way, are the ones that were propping up Maduro.”

Mr Trump says the US could not have to intervene in Cuba, certainly one of Venezuela’s key allies, as he claims that the nation is “ready to fall” following Mr Maduro’s seize.

“I don’t know if they’re going to hold out, but Cuba now has no income. They got all of their income from Venezuela, from the Venezuelan oil. They’re not getting any of it. Cuba literally is ready to fall.”