Marco Rubio, the U.S. Secretary of State, said in an interview with NBC News that Venezuela bears no resemblance to Afghanistan, where Iranian operatives are plotting against the United States.
He dismissed analysts’ concerns that U.S. intervention in Venezuela could lead to consequences similar to past interventions in countries such as Iraq and Libya, calling those fears unfounded and emphasizing that Venezuela is fundamentally different from the Middle East.
“Venezuela bears no resemblance to Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan or the Middle East,” Mr. Rubio said, “except for the fact that Iranian operatives in those places plot against the United States. Venezuela is part of the Western world, with longstanding popular and cultural ties to the United States.”
Mr. Rubio added that Washington does not intend to take over Venezuela’s day-to-day governance, saying the U.S. role would be limited to enforcing an “oil quarantine” aimed at pressuring Caracas to change its policies.
He said the blockade of sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers would remain in place until changes occur that benefit both the Venezuelan people and the United States.
Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s interim president, called for cooperation with Washington and said she sought “respectful relations” with the United States.
Former President Donald Trump has previously said that the United States would administer Venezuela until the country was “back on the right track.”
Cuba said late Sunday that 32 of its security personnel had been killed in the U.S. operation in Venezuela, a claim Mr. Trump acknowledged, saying, “A lot of Cubans were killed yesterday.”
Mr. Trump added that U.S. forces suffered no casualties in the operation to detain Nicolás Maduro and his wife.
Mr. Maduro and his wife were taken from their residence at a military base in Caracas by U.S. special forces known as Delta Force. Mr. Maduro is expected to appear for the first time today in federal court in Manhattan.
