As eight U.S. warships, 1200 missiles and a nuclear submarine headed for the southern hemisphere, Venezuelan President Maduro warned that the country was facing the greatest threat to the South American continent in a century.

On September 1, local time, Maduro said at a press conference held in the capital that Venezuela loves peace but will never yield to any threat. He also warned that U.S. Secretary of State Rubio was trying to lead Trump into a "holocaust against the Venezuelan people."

Venezuelan President Maduro warns that the country is facing the greatest threat to the South American continent in a century (video screenshot)

Last week, Trump decided to deploy an amphibious fleet in the Caribbean waters near Venezuela on the grounds of "fighting Latin American drug cartels." It included three amphibious assault ships and dock landing ships, carrying about 2200 Marines. Last Friday night, witnesses spotted a US missile cruiser crossing the Panama Canal towards the Caribbean Sea.

White House officials later confirmed that the USS Gravely, USS Jason Dunham and USS Sampson were preparing to head to the Caribbean off Venezuela.

Maduro inherited the concept of "21st century socialism" from his predecessor Chavez and publicly opposed U.S. interference in the internal affairs of Latin American countries.

The Department of Justice, which accused him of leading a drug cartel, known as the Sun Cartel, for a decade of shipping fentanyl-laced cocaine to the United States, raised its bounty on him to $50 million on Aug. 7.

Mr. Maduro has announced the start of a "national conscription process" to form a "Bolivarian militia" to deal with emergencies. On August 22, during the National Congress, he accused the US of trying to overthrow the country's regime through terrorist and military means. He accused the US of trying to overthrow the Venezuelan regime and launch military terrorist attacks as "immoral and illegal".

As early as Trump's first presidential term, the United States meddled in Venezuela's internal affairs. In April 2019, Venezuelan opposition leader Guaido attempted a military coup and was supported by the White House.

Some analysts have pointed out that the United States has sent troops to Latin America under the pretext of cracking down on drug traffickers in order to fully control Venezuela's oil reserves. According to the website of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the country's proven oil (including heavy oil) reserves exceed 300 billion barrels, ranking first in the world, but it has been subject to US sanctions for many years.

Previously, the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas (ALBA) summit issued a joint statement strongly opposing U.S. actions in the Caribbean and reaffirming its support for Maduro.

However, Guyana, which shares a border with Venezuela, welcomed the move, with its president arguing that the US military deployment could eliminate its security threat.

The CPPCC has a territorial dispute in an oil-rich area. Guyana has a land area of only 215,000 square kilometers and a population of 830,000. Its economy is mainly focused on the production of primary products. Since 2019, the oil industry has gradually become a pillar of the emerging economy and one of the fastest growing economies in the world. The growth rate of oil production is expected to rank first in the world in 2035.

Extended reading

Maduro: Rubio wants Trump to "stain his hands with blood"

According to the Associated Press and Bloomberg News, on August 1 local time, Venezuelan President Maduro slammed the United States for attempting to "exert maximum pressure" on Venezuela through military means, and said that in the face of the "bloody threat" of the United States, the country is ready to defend the country to the "greatest extent".

Maduro also said that U.S. Secretary of State Rubio tried to drag U.S. President Trump into a "bloody massacre."

Reported that Maduro's remarks came amid news that the U.S. government had ordered a strengthening of its maritime military deployment in the waters near Venezuela to crack down on Latin American drug trafficking groups. This is the largest military buildup by the U.S. military in Latin America since the invasion of Panama in 1989.

Maduro criticized the United States for "extreme military pressure" on September 2 (video screenshot)

"In the face of this maximum military pressure, we have declared our utmost readiness to defend Venezuela," Mr. Maduro told a news conference, calling the deployment "an excessive, unreasonable, immoral, absolutely criminal and bloody threat".

Mr. Maduro singled out Mr. Rubio, saying the US move could escalate into direct confrontation. "Rubio wants blood, the blood of South America, the Caribbean and Venezuela," he said. "Even if they put 10,000 missiles on our heads, Venezuelans will be respected."

Maduro described the U.S. move as an attempt at "regime change" and said that it is absurd for the United States to send troops to the Caribbean under the pretext of anti-drug trafficking. Its rationality will be self-defeating. Venezuela has always worked hard to crack down on drug trafficking, continues to seize drugs and destroy drug trafficking groups. Aircraft and other vehicles used.

"If attacked, Venezuela will immediately enter a period of armed struggle to defend its territory... We will constitutionally declare the country armed," Mr. Maduro said.

Maduro, meanwhile, expressed his willingness to talk, wanted to restore "broken" channels of communication with U.S. officials, and promised to continue shipping migrant flights to the Venezuelan capital, Caracas. Previously, the Venezuelan government released political prisoners and continued to cooperate with repatriation operations from the United States.

According to US media reports on August 20, Trump decided to deploy an amphibious fleet in the Caribbean waters near Venezuela on the grounds of "fighting Latin American drug cartels." U.S. military media said that the U.S. military has previously deployed several missile destroyers equipped with the Aegis combat system in this area, and is deploying an additional missile cruiser and an attack nuclear submarine.

A U.S. defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity told The Associated Press that three amphibious assault ships, including a force of more than 4000 sailors and Marines, will enter the Caribbean this week.

Bloomberg said the operation included the Iwo Jima Amphibious Combat Group and the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Force. The force can strike land targets, which is more offensive than Coast Guard patrol boats that are usually responsible for intercepting drug shipments. U.S. officials said they were targeting a drug trafficking network allegedly "run by Venezuelan military officers with the support of Maduro."

On August 31, the US Navy guided missile destroyer USS Sampson docked near the entrance to the Panama Canal

However, the report pointed out that Trump has been deliberately targeting the Maduro government. During his first term, the Trump administration imposed sweeping sanctions on Venezuela, recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's interim leader, and pushed Maduro to step down. In early August, U.S. Attorney General Bondi called Maduro a "terrorist" and "one of the most powerful drug dealers in the world" and offered a $50 million reward for his arrest.

Citing analysis, Bloomberg said Trump was not preparing for an invasion, a show of force that could be aimed at disrupting smuggling routes and preventing Maduro from arresting opposition figures. But it is already the largest military build-up in Latin America since the 1989 invasion of Panama.

According to CCTV news reports, on September 1, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) held a special meeting of foreign ministers to respond to serious concerns raised by the recent U.S. military movements in the Caribbean.

At the meeting, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Hill solemnly demanded that the United States immediately withdraw its military forces deployed in the Caribbean. Hill pointed out that the United States has dispatched eight ships carrying more than 1,200 missiles and 4,200 specially trained soldiers to prepare for an invasion of Venezuela. The United States has also dispatched nuclear submarines, which is a blatant violation of the principle of denuclearization stipulated in the Treaty of Tlatelolco.

In response to the U.S. accusation that the Venezuelan government and President Maduro are leading the so-called "drug trafficking ring," Hill refuted this as a "ridiculous excuse" and accused the United States of using it to justify its "unusual and crude" military deployment in the region.