US-Iran tensions continue to escalate, leaving behind widespread destruction. Meanwhile, US Central Command on Wednesday stated that the southern route through the Strait of Hormuz remains free and open for all commercial vessels seeking to transit the international waterway. “Over the past three months, U.S. forces have assisted more than 1,000 vessels in successfully transiting the strait despite unwarranted Iranian aggression, and these transits continue today,” U.S. Central Command said. Meanwhile, drawing comparison with Venezuela, US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (local time) said the United States was “doing the same thing” in Iran as it had done in Venezuela.
Why did Donald Trump compare the US approach in Iran to Venezuela?
He asserted that Washington would prefer to reach a deal with Tehran but would not allow the country to develop nuclear weapons. Speaking at a gathering in Las Vegas, Trump maintained that the US had weakened Iran through its military actions but had not closed the doors for negotiations.
US President said, “In Venezuela, it was a 48-minute war, and we paid for the war with what we’ve taken out…to the victor belongs the spoils, and we are doing the same thing in the lovely Islamic Republic of Iran. We are knocking the hell out of them. I would rather make a deal, because I do not want to kill people.”
Also Read: US-Iran talks to begin Monday after Trump halts planned military strike
The southern route through the Strait of Hormuz remains free and open for all commercial vessels seeking to transit the international waterway. Over the past three months, U.S. forces have assisted more than 1,000 vessels in successfully transiting the strait despite unwarranted… pic.twitter.com/TcszH0GimG
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) August 4, 2026
According to the American president, a much bigger military operation was ready but stopped when Iran approached Washington for discussions. Trump said, “We were set for the biggest attack, since World War II, and they called me and they said, ‘Please don’t do it. Let’s talk.’ Then they said we never said that. You know what the fake news knows. They did say that, but we are talking. Let’s see what happens.”
What did Trump say about Iran’s nuclear ambitions?
He pointed out that recent events showed that Iran now respects the US. The president also reiterated once again that Iran should never acquire nuclear weapons. “They respect us… No other president has done what should have been done a long time ago because Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” he said, as reported by news agency ANI.
Trump also commended US immigration authorities while naming the action against Venezuela’s gang Tren de Aragua. “ICE is among our greatest patriots… These guys, what they do when they have to get Tren de Aragua from Venezuela… But now, I love Venezuela. We are getting a lot of oil from Venezuela, and we’re getting along great with them,” he said.
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Earlier in January, Washington carried out a “large-scale strike against Venezuela”, and the deposed dictator, Nicolas Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured and taken out of the country. Maduro and Flores were captured in Caracas and flown out of the country in a joint operation involving intelligence agencies and US law enforcement. More than 150 aircraft took part in this mission, including F-18, F-22, F-35 fighter planes, as well as B-1 bomber planes, and drones. At 10:46 p.m. (Eastern Time), President Trump approved this operation. By 1:01 a.m. (Caracas Time) (2:01 a.m. local) American forces had landed on Maduro’s compound for this operation. Caracas (Venezuela) is where President Maduro was reportedly living within a fortress-like secure site — a fully fortified area.
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