The president has a long record of making false or misleading statements. But the sheer density of them in his administration’s boat attacks and Venezuela pressure campaign is exceptional.
Mr. Trump says an “armed conflict” makes the killings of people on the vessels lawful, but law-of-war experts say standards for a war to exist are not met.
Amid sky-high inflation, water and energy cuts and prospects for a deal with the U. S. dimming, President Masoud Pezeshkian has apparently thrown up his hands.
The attack on Wednesday brings the total number killed to at least 99 since the Trump administration began bombing boats suspected of ferrying drugs in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean.
U.S. attacks on boats off South America have drawn the ire of legal experts and many members of Congress, who contend that the strikes amount to extrajudicial killings and, potentially, war crimes.
Beijing is using its messaging tools to show off its prowess at building infrastructure and project power, taking advantage of what it says is “deep anxiety” in U.S. policies.
European Union officials wanted to use Russia’s frozen assets to back a major loan to Ukraine. Unable to overcome opposition, they settled on another way to lend the money.
The Pentagon has released plenty of video clips that show American missiles blowing boats suspected of carrying drugs out of the water. But the “double tap” strike on Sept. 2 is being kept under wraps.
President Trump said the United States wanted to reclaim expropriated oil assets, setting off a nationalist reaction in a country where the resource holds a mythical status.
Derricks in the Maracaibo oil fields of Venezuela in the early 20th century. American oil companies invested millions of dollars in the region, generating profits that flowed to the United States, rather than Venezuela.
The Democratic measure was defeated mostly along party lines, along with another resolution that would have halted the military’s escalating campaign of boat attacks.
U.S. military aircraft in Ceiba, Puerto Rico, on Tuesday. For months, the U.S. military has been building up a large naval force there as President Trump continues to threaten to attack Venezuela.
Pentagon officials, surprised by President Trump’s orders, scrambled to work out a plan to halt sanctioned tankers as Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s leader, vowed resistance.
An oil tanker docked at Cardón Refinery in Punto Fijo, Venezuela, in 2021. More than 400 tankers have moved Venezuelan oil or related products since 2019, and these vessels are part of a bigger fleet of ships that trade oil illicitly.
The move is an escalation of military operations and a pressure campaign against Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s leader. But its scope and economic impact are not clear.
People from Syria, South Sudan and those with documents issued by the Palestinian Authority are included in the latest restrictions. More than 35 countries are now under U.S. travel restrictions.
In public, the White House says it is confronting Venezuela to curb drug trafficking. Behind the scenes, gaining access to the country’s vast oil reserves is a priority.
Jimmy Lai, the Hong Kong publisher and democracy campaigner, was convicted of national security charges in a city where even minor dissent is now whispered.
Firms with ties to Cuba are getting a larger share of Venezuelan oil exports, as the island’s security agents boost President Nicolás Maduro’s defenses.
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