Michael Waltz: We will not allow Venezuela to become a base of operations for the Islamic Republic and other malicious actors

The U.S. Ambassador at the United Nations Security Council meeting regarding the situation in Venezuela stated that Washington will not allow the country to become a "center of operations for (the Islamic Republic of) Iran, Hezbollah, criminal gangs, Cuban intelligence agents, and other malicious actors who have taken control of Venezuela." Michael Waltz emphasized during the Security Council session that "the largest energy reserves in the world cannot be kept under the control of the enemies of the United States and illegitimate leaders"; reserves that, according to him, are being looted by oligarchs instead of being used for the people of Venezuela. These remarks were made during a discussion about recent developments in Venezuela and the U.S. action to arrest the President of the Venezuelan regime. The U.S. representative stated that Washington's goal is to prevent the Western Hemisphere from becoming an operational base for U.S. enemies. In the same meeting, some countries, including Colombia, expressed their opposition to the U.S. action in arresting Nicolás Maduro and called for resolving disputes through diplomatic means. Early Saturday, under the order of the U.S. President, Nicolás Maduro, the President of the Venezuelan regime, and his wife, who was a senior government official, were arrested in the capital of the country and transferred to New York for trial. Maduro and his wife face charges of "narco-terrorism conspiracy" and drug trafficking-related crimes. The indictment emphasizes that they have played a role in the transfer of drugs to the U.S. in collaboration with international drug trafficking networks over the past two decades and have amassed wealth through this route. Reports indicate that the Islamic Republic of Iran and Hezbollah have had close relations with the Maduro regime in recent years. The U.S. President's warning regarding action against drug cartels in Mexico and Ted Cruz's statement that Trump has ordered Russia, China, and Iran to leave the Western Hemisphere.