Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro speaks during a press conference in Caracas, Venezuela, on Monday, September 1, 2025. ARIANA CUBILLOS / AP
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro claimed Monday, September 1, that eight US military vessels with 1,200 missiles were targeting his country, denouncing an "absolutely criminal, bloody threat." The United States, which accuses Maduro of leading a drug cartel, has announced a deployment of warships to the southern Caribbean in an anti-drug trafficking operation. It has made no invasion threat.
Maduro railed at a meeting with international media in Caracas Monday against "the greatest threat that has been seen on our continent in the last 100 years" in the form of "eight military ships with 1,200 missiles and a submarine targeting Venezuela."
The president, whose last two re-elections in 2024 and 2018 were not recognized by the United States or much of the international community, said that "in response to maximum military pressure, we have declared maximum readiness to defend Venezuela."
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