Maduro declares state of emergency over US aggression
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Venezuela's president may declare a state of emergency as US military operations escalate in the Caribbean
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Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro points at a map of the Americas during a press conference in Caracas, Venezuela, Sept 15, 2025 (AP)
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro declared a state of emergency in response to what Caracas has labeled as escalating US aggression against Venezuela.
Earlier on Monday, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez revealed that Maduro had signed a decree granting him the ability to take action on matters of defense and national security should the United States "dare to attack our homeland."
The decree would allow Maduro to mobilize armed forces throughout the country and give the military authority over public services and the oil industry.
US military deployment near Venezuela sparks alarm
The Venezuelan government has placed its defense forces on high alert following a major US military deployment near the country’s coastline. The United States has stationed eight warships and a nuclear-powered submarine in the southern Caribbean, under the pretext of countering drug trafficking operations.
Caracas, however, views the deployment as a provocation, particularly aimed at pressuring the Maduro government and forcing regime change.
In recent weeks, US forces have struck at least three vessels in the Caribbean, claiming they were involved in narcotics operations without providing any proof, resulting in the deaths of 14 individuals. The operations have been criticized by UN experts as potential cases of “extrajudicial execution".
Venezuelan parliament chief warns of consequences
Venezuelan Parliament Speaker Jorge Rodriguez warned of the dangerous consequences of any potential military escalation in the Caribbean region.
“In case brazen imperialism unleashes a state of war in the Caribbean, the consequences will be catastrophic for the entire American continent,” Rodriguez said during a meeting with the diplomatic corps accredited in Venezuela.
The parliament chief stressed that “the responsibility of defending this peace lies on all of us, and that we must defend it with action, initiative, and national unity.”
Speaking of Venezuela’s sovereignty, he underlined the “sacredness of the country’s land, sky, rivers, and seas,” saying, “We defend the entrance to our home, our sacred land, our sacred sky, our sacred rivers, and our sacred seas.”
Rodriguez emphasized that this struggle is not only about protecting the rights of Venezuelan children to peace and a future but also about “defending with strength and insisting on this defense.”
“Our Caribbean, our sea, our own sea—we must defend it as a region of peace, as a region free of acts of war,” he stressed.
Strikes on suspected drug boats kill 14
The deaths of 14 individuals aboard alleged drug boats have further inflamed tensions between Caracas and Washington. While the US frames these actions as part of anti-narcotics enforcement, Venezuelan officials argue that the killings constitute unlawful military aggression.
According to a report by US media outlet NBC, citing four unnamed sources, military planners in Washington are now evaluating options to expand operations to include targets inside Venezuela’s borders.
Rodriguez expressed confidence in the country’s readiness to resist. “Venezuela is united in the defense of our country,” she said. “We will never surrender our homeland.”
