US gives Maduro one last chance
Venezuelan leader urged to resign or face full force of ‘narco-terror’ crackdown
A tense phone call last week between the White House and Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro offered the embattled leader one final deal: resign immediately, leave Venezuela with his wife and son, and receive safe passage—or face the full force of an expanding US campaign targeting what Washington has labelled a “narco-terrorist regime.” According to US media reports, the call—reportedly brokered by Brazil, Qatar, and Turkey—collapsed almost instantly. Maduro demanded global amnesty, control of the armed forces, and time to negotiate an exit, conditions Washington rejected outright.
Days later, President Donald Trump stunned the region by declaring Venezuelan airspace “closed in its entirety,” warning airlines, drug traffickers, and human smugglers that the order required “immediate attention.” In Venezuela, the statement was widely interpreted as a signal that land operations could begin imminently. For Trinidad and Tobago—just seven miles from Venezuela’s coast at its closest point—the prospect of US military action on Venezuelan soil has triggered deep concern among national security officials.
A senior local intelligence officer, speaking to Guardian Media on condition of anonymity, said any destabilization across the Gulf of Paria would send “shockwaves straight into Trinidad.” “We are already managing the highest-ever flows of irregular migrants,” the officer said. “If this escalates into open conflict, the humanitarian impact on Trinidad and Tobago could be unprecedented.” The phone call came amid a sweeping escalation of US pressure on the Maduro administration.