Venezuelan Crisis

Oil, sanctions, and war. US blockade on Venezuela recalls past conflicts

The US has ordered a total blockade on sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers, stepped up naval presence and seized ships, raising fears that it may be moving towards a military conflict with Caracas

Behind Nobel Laureate Maria Machado's daring escape from Venezuela to Oslo

An American firm with experience in special operations spirited María Corina Machado, the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, out of the country in a secretive land, sea and air operation

US sanctions Maduro's nephews as pressure campaign against Venezuela grows

The US imposed sanctions on three nephews of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, among others, on Thursday as President Donald Trump looks to inflict further pressure on the South American nation. The new sanctions on Franqui Flores, Carlos Flores and Efrain Campo come a day after Trump announced that the US had seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. Also included in the sanctions are Panamanian businessman Ramon Carretero Napolitano, six firms and six Venezuela-flagged ships accused of transporting Venezuelan oil. The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control published the list of sanctions on Thursday. The sanctions are meant to deny them access to any property or financial assets held in the US, and the penalties are intended to prevent US companies and citizens from doing business with them. Banks and financial institutions that violate that restriction expose themselves to sanctions or enforcement actions. This is not the first time Maduro's family has been involv

Trump confirms he authorised CIA to take covert action in Venezuela

Trump said that Venezuelan leaders had emptied their prisons in to the United States of America and we have a lot of drugs coming in from Venezuela

Nobel winner vilified by Maduro vows to continue her fight for Venezuela

Machado's prize is unlikely to help improve the circumstances for her supporters and opposition leaders, whose ranks have thinned under a brutal crackdown that's sent many to jail or into exile

'Politics over peace': White House's snark on Trump's Nobel Prize loss

The White House criticised the Nobel Committee after Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado won the 2025 Peace Prize, saying the decision "places politics over peace"

Machado dedicates Nobel Prize to Trump for supporting Venezuelans' cause

Machado dedicates Nobel Prize to Trump for supporting Venezuelans' cause

Meet Maria Corina Machado, who pipped Trump to win 2025 Nobel Peace Prize

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado wins the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her decades-long, non-violent fight to restore democracy under Nicolas Maduro's repressive regime

Judge blocks Trump admin from ending protections for Haitians, Venezuelans

A federal judge on Friday ruled against the Trump administration from ending temporary legal protections that have granted more than 1 million people from Haiti and Venezuela the right to live and work in the United States. The ruling by US District Judge Edward Chen of San Francisco for the plaintiffs means 600,000 Venezuelans whose temporary protections expired in April or whose protections were about to expire September 10 have status to stay and work in the United States. Chen said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's actions in terminating and vacating three extensions granted by the previous administration exceeded her statutory authority and were arbitrary and capricious. Temporary Protected Status is a designation that can be granted by the Homeland Security secretary to people in the United States, if conditions in their homelands are deemed unsafe for return due to a natural disaster, political instability or other dangerous conditions. The Department of Homeland ...

Two Venezuelan military aircraft fly over US naval vessel as tensions rise

Days earlier, the US had struck a purported drug-smuggling vessel it said was headed from Venezuela, killing all 11 people aboard in a strike that drew criticism at home and abroad

Maduro vows to declare 'republic in arms' if US forces attack Venezuela

Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro on Monday said he would constitutionally declare a republic in arms if the South American country were attacked by forces that the United States government has deployed to the Caribbean. His comments during a news conference come as the US government this week is set to boost its maritime force in the waters off Venezuela to combat threats from Latin American drug cartels. The US has not signalled any planned land incursion by the thousands of personnel being deployed. Still, Maduro's government has responded by deploying troops along its coast and border with neighbouring Colombia, as well as by urging Venezuelans to enlist in a civilian militia. In the face of this maximum military pressure, we have declared maximum preparedness for the defence of Venezuela, Maduro said of the deployment, which he characterised as an extravagant, unjustifiable, immoral and absolutely criminal and bloody threat. The US Navy now has two Aegis guided-missile ...

US judge rules Trump admin violated rights of deported Venezuelans

The judge ruled in a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union and Democracy Forward, which applauded the decision

Venezuela denies opposition fled country under international rescue effort

Venezuela's government has acknowledged for the first time that members of the country's opposition left the Argentine diplomatic compound where they had sheltered for over a year, but it denied that their arrival to the United States occurred under an international rescue operation as characterized by the political faction and the US State Department. Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said on Wednesday that the group's movements were negotiated with the government and further alleged that one of the six people who entered the Argentine ambassador's residence in March left the compound in August, contradicting earlier statements from the opposition. Cabello's statements came more than 24 hours after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on social media that the opposition members were on US soil after a "successful rescue". The government of Argentine President Javier Milei allowed the six people into the ambassador's residence when authorities loyal to Venezuela's

Trump to enforce 25% tariff on nations importing Venezuelan oil and gas

This measure, described as a "secondary tariff," is set to take effect on April 2

Nearly 200 Venezuelan migrants deported from Guantanamo Bay via Honduras

Nearly 200 Venezuelan immigrants to the US were returned to their home country after being detained at Guantanamo Bay, in a flurry of flights that forged an unprecedented pathway for US deportations. US and Venezuelan authorities confirmed the deportations that relied on a stopover in Honduras, where 177 Venezuelans exited a US Customs and Immigration Enforcement flight and boarded a Venezuelan plane bound for Caracas. The government of President Nicols Maduro said it had requested the repatriation of a group of Venezuelans who were unjustly taken to the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. With the request accepted, an aircraft with the state-owned airline Conviasa picked up the migrants from Honduras. ICE confirmed the transfer of 177 Venezuelan illegal aliens. The administration of President Donald Trump has placed a high priority on deporting people who have exhausted all legal appeals to stay in the U.S. Nearly 1.5 million had final removal orders as of Nov. 24, according to

Venezuela's Oppn supporters fight hope, distress after Maduro sworn in

The inauguration of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro left his opponents to grapple with with conflicting feelings of hope and disappointment on Saturday, pondering why the self-described socialist leader could not be stopped despite credible evidence that he had lost the election last year. Some described their mood after Friday's ceremony at the legislative palace in Caracas, Venezuela's capital, like an emotional hangover while others said they feel abandoned. Many expressed cautious optimism, finding a measure of comfort in the social media videos released by two opposition leaders popular former lawmaker Mara Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonzalez, the opposition's candidate in the vote who had promised to topple Maduro. In the end, it feels as if the soup got cold, college professor Nelson Perez said. We've been on the subject of not losing hope for a while. ... But then you realize it's more of the same. That realization is hard to process for millions of Venezuelans who, l

Nicols Maduro takes oath as Venezuela's President amid protests, rebuke

Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro was sworn in Friday for a new term, extending his increasingly repressive rule in the face of renewed protests and rebukes from the United States and others who believe he stole last year's vote. Venezuela's legislative palace, where he was sworn in and delivered a fiery speech, was heavily guarded by security forces who have become Maduro's main hold on power since last summer's disputed election. Crowds of people, many sporting pro-Maduro T-shirts, gathered in adjacent streets and a nearby plaza. Maduro, likening himself to a biblical David fighting Goliath, accused his opponents and their supporters in the US of trying to turn his inauguration into a world war. He said his enemies' failure to block his inauguration to a third six-year term was a great victory" for Venezuela's peace and national sovereignty. I have not been made president by the government of the United States, nor by the pro-imperialist governments of Latin America, he said, aft

Venezuela's Oppn leader defies Maduro to lead protests, claims arrest later

Venezuela opposition leader Mara Corina Machado's aides said she was detained Thursday, followed moments later by official denials of her arrest, in a confusing episode that capped a day of protests seeking to block President Nicols Maduro from clinging to power. It remained unclear what exactly happened after Machado bid farewell to hundreds of supporters, hopped on a motorcycle and raced with her security convoy down a main Caracas avenue. At 3:21 pm local time, Machado's press team said in a social media post that security forces violently intercepted her convoy. Her aides later told The Associated Press that she had been detained, and international condemnation poured in from leaders in Latin America and beyond, demanding her release. But about an hour later, a proof-of-life, 20-second video of Machado emerged online in which she says she was followed after leaving the wonderful rally and had dropped her purse. Her aides later claimed in a social media post that the video messag

Trump backs Venezuela's Oppn leader Maria Machado after detention incident

Fear of repression in Venezuela has escalated in recent days as the inauguration of Maduro's third term approaches on Friday, following last year's contested presidential election, CNN reported

Venezuelan Oppn leader Maria Machado arrested after anti-govt protest

Venezuela opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was arrested Thursday when her motorcycle convoy was fired upon by security forces as it departed an anti-government protest in Caracas, according to aides. Machado emerged from months of hiding earlier Thursday to reappear in public as part of a last-ditch attempt to block President Nicols Maduro from clinging to power. Machado's press team said in a social media post that security forces violently intercepted the convoy as it was leaving eastern Caracas. There were no immediate details on her whereabouts and Maduro's government has yet to comment. They wanted us to fight each other, but Venezuela is united, we are not afraid, Machado shouted to a few hundred protesters from atop a truck in the capital moments before her arrest. The protests are taking place a day before the ruling party-controlled National Assembly is scheduled to swear in Maduro to a third six-year term despite credible evidence that he lost the presidential ...