Trump 'Does Not Rule Out' War with Venezuela

Washington (United States) (AFP) - Donald Trump did not rule out the possibility of a war against Venezuela during an interview aired on Friday, at a time when the United States is increasing pressure on Caracas with an oil blockade, while his top diplomat said the status quo is "intolerable."

"No, I do not rule it out," the American president said to the American network NBC during a phone interview recorded the day before.

The United States accuses Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, one of their arch-enemies, of leading a drug trafficking network, which Maduro denies.

Nicolas Maduro "knows exactly what I want (...). He knows it better than anyone," Donald Trump said, however refusing to say if his goal was to overthrow him.

The American president announced earlier this week a "total blockade" against sanctioned oil tankers heading to or departing from Venezuela.

He stated during the interview that further seizures of oil tankers will take place, following last week's seizure of a ship carrying Venezuelan crude barrels destined for Cuba.

Washington has deployed a significant military presence in the Caribbean since this summer and has conducted a series of strikes targeting suspected drug traffickers' boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific.

At least 104 people have been killed in these strikes since the start of these operations, without the U.S. government ever providing any proof that the targeted ships were actually involved in any trafficking.

At the same time, the American president has been threatening a ground intervention for weeks.

"Changing the dynamics"

"It is clear that the current status quo with the Venezuelan regime is intolerable for the United States," Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized during a press conference on Friday.

"So yes, our goal is to change the dynamics and that is why the president is doing what he is doing," he said.

Pressed with questions, Marco Rubio, who is himself of Cuban origin and responded several times in Spanish, accused the "illegitimate regime" of Nicolas Maduro of "cooperating with narcoterrorists" but stopped short of saying whether the United States was aiming for regime change, as Caracas accuses them.

Caracas claims Washington wants to overthrow Mr. Maduro to seize Venezuelan oil, the country's main resource.

"Not only do they not cooperate, they openly cooperate with terrorists and criminals," the American top diplomat continued.

Asked about Russia's support for Nicolas Maduro, Marco Rubio replied that the United States is not worried about "an escalation with Russia," while saying he was not surprised that Moscow provides "rhetorical support" to the country.

He also stated that "nothing would prevent" Washington from implementing its oil blockade against Venezuela.

Opposition Democrats, as well as members of the presidential majority in Congress, have questioned the legality of the American strikes and demanded that any operation on Venezuelan soil receive approval from the U.S. Congress.

But Marco Rubio, who is also a national security advisor to Donald Trump, responded that "at this stage, nothing has happened that requires us to inform Congress, obtain its approval, or cross the threshold of war."

Furthermore, the United States announced on Friday new sanctions targeting seven family members of people already sanctioned on December 11, including three nephews of Mr. Maduro.