🔤🔤🔤❌🇮🇷 — 📰 ZeroHedge | First Venezuela, Next Iran? | January 4, 2026:

"Top US officials have been eager to capitalize on the Trump-ordered military raid on Caracas, which saw the Venezuelan capital bombed and its longtime socialist leader Nicolás Maduro captured without major incident and transferred to US soil where's facing federal drug charges related to narco-trafficking and gun-running.

Hawkish pundits are already clamoring for more muscular action targeting Tehran (and other supposed 'rogue' actors) at a moment of ongoing economic protests in Iran pressuring Islamic Republic leaders. Trump is issuing veiled threats to the governments of Cuba, Colombia, and Mexico - but many are asking: is Iran next? Various open source intelligence channels (OSINT) on Sunday have highlighted some unusual American military activity in the UK and Europe, for example..."

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🇻🇪🛢🛢😎 — 🗞 The Economist | Donald Trump’s great Venezuelan oil gamble | The country has the world’s largest petroleum reserves. Getting them out of the ground will be tortuous | January 4, 2026:

"JUST HOURS after America captured Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s dictator, in a nighttime raid on January 3rd, President Donald Trump clarified his motivation. “The oil business in Venezuela has been a bust, a total bust for a long period of time,” he said. “We are going to have our very large United States oil companies…spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure…and start making money for the country.”

The declaration had the sweet taste of revenge. Eighteen years ago, under Hugo Chávez, Venezuela nationalised assets belonging to American and other Western companies; claims worth a combined $60bn have been filed against it and PDVSA, the national oil company, in American and international tribunals. On December 16th Mr Trump had demanded that Venezuela return “all of the oil, land and other assets that they previously stole from us”.

But the president wants more than retribution. Decades of underinvestment and mismanagement have caused Venezuela’s oil production to fall by two-thirds since the late 2000s, to around 1m barrels a day (b/d). Restoring idle capacity, the thinking goes, would make Venezuela rich while lining American pockets. Better still, Venezuela sits on some 300bn barrels of oil—a fifth of the world’s reserves—implying production might rise further still, and for a while. The heavy, sour crude that the country harbours is precisely the type of which American refineries are chronically short, at a time when America’s relations with Canada, a supplier of the stuff, are strained."

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🇺🇸✈️❌🇻🇪 — 📰 ZeroHedge | Footage Suggests 'Black Program' Stealth Drone May Have Supported Delta Force In Maduro Capture Operation | January 5, 2026:

"(...)

Clash Report posted footage that appears to show an RQ-170 Sentinel drone returning to a U.S. military base in Puerto Rico following the operation.

The stealth drone, a flying-wing platform with radar-absorbing skin designed to minimize detection, was likely tasked with covert surveillance to support the raid, the capture of Maduro, and any related kinetic operations.

There has been no confirmation from the Department of War that the RQ-170 was involved in yesterday's operations in Venezuela."

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🇻🇪🇻🇪⛓📰 — Seven journalists were arrested in Venezuela while covering Delcy Rodríguez’s swearing-in ceremony.

🇺🇸❌🇻🇪🇷🇺🛢 — According to U.S. officials speaking to CBS, the United States plans to seize the crude oil tanker Marinera, formerly known as Bella 1, which is now sailing under a Russian flag. The operation could take place as early as this week and would likely involve U.S. special operations forces.

➡️ Prior to the capture of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Venezuelan officials had reportedly discussed placing armed guards aboard sanctioned tankers, disguising them as civilians, and even potentially equipping them with MANPADS in an effort to deter interdiction or seizure.

🇺🇸🤑❌🇻🇪🇻🇪 — The Wall Street Journal reports that an unknown investor earned $400,000 betting on the fall of Venezuelan President Maduro on the futures platform Polymarket just hours before U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. military action.

📝 According to the report, the investor made a 12-fold profit on the investment, raising suspicions that they may have had insider information about the move.

#BREAKING

🇻🇪🪖❗️ — Armed Clashes near the Miraflores area (Where Venezuelan Presidential Palace is) of Caracas Capital of Venezuela!

#BREAKING

🇻🇪🪖❗️ — Venezuelan Anti-Air Artillery active over Caracas!

#BREAKING

🇻🇪🪖❗️ — Drones spotted over Caracas, capital of venezuela!

🚨🇻🇪💥 CARACAS AHORA

#BREAKING

🇻🇪🪖❗️ — Armed clashes near the Miraflores area of Caracas, where the Venezuelan Presidential Palace is placed!

🇻🇪🪖❗️ — Armed clashes and explosions near the Venezuelan Presidential Palace in Miraflores area of Venezuela