Tag: Trump

• EU leaders threaten tougher sanctions on Tehran

President Donald Trump called on Iranians to keep protesting and promised “help is on its way”  yesterday, a sign that he may soon authorise U.S. military strikes against the country’s leadership.

“Iranian Patriots, keep protesting – take over institutions!!!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price. I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters stops. Help is on the way.”

Trump has repeatedly threatened military action against Iran if the country’s leadership continues to crack down on protests.

Demonstrations began two weeks ago in Tehran’s bazaars over rampant inflation, but have since spiralled into wider protests across the country against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his regime, which has ruled the country since the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

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An internet blackout across the country has prevented effective communication with the outside world, but some estimates of the death toll from the crackdown have reached thousands.

A volunteer group of analysts, working from Tehran hospital reports, told TIME the death toll nationwide could be as high as 6,000. Images smuggled out of the country showed a Tehran-area morgue packed with hundreds of bodies from Thursday night alone.

Over the weekend, Trump was reportedly briefed on a number of military options to strike Iran, but had not yet made a final decision.

Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a close ally of Trump who has been influential in shaping his policy on Iran, shared his prediction on what an attack on Iran might look like.

“No boots on the ground, but unleashing holy hell — as he promised — on the regime that has trampled every red line. A massive wave of military, cyber and psychological attacks is the meat and bones of ‘help is on the way’,” he wrote on X.

“What am I looking for? Destroy the infrastructure that allows the massacre and slaughter of the Iranian people, and take down the leaders responsible for the killing,” he added.

Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, warned on Sunday that both Israel and “all American military centers, bases and ships in the region will be our legitimate targets” in the event of an attack.

“We do not consider ourselves limited to reacting after the action and will act based on any objective signs of a threat,” he added.

Also yesterday, the European Union said it is drafting new sanctions against Tehran as the death toll continues to rise from a crackdown on anti-government protests throughout Iran.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen yesterday said the number of casualties was “horrifying.”

“I unequivocally condemn the excessive use of force and continued restrictions of freedom,” she said on X.

According to Iran Human Rights, an Oslo, Norway-based advocacy group, at least 648 protesters, including nine children under age 18, have been killed by government security officials in Iran since the protests began more than two weeks ago.

“The European Union has already listed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in its entirety under its human rights sanctions regime,” Ms. von der Leyen said. “Further sanctions on those responsible for the repression will be swiftly proposed.”

She didn’t specify what additional restrictions could be imposed on the Islamic Republic. The EU has already placed arms embargoes, oil and entry trading bans, and financial constraints.

European Commission Vice President Kaja Kallas, a former prime minister of Estonia, said Iranians are fighting for their future against a repressive regime in Tehran.

“Images from Tehran reveal a disproportionate and heavy-handed response by the security forces,” Ms. Kallas said this week on X. “Any violence against peaceful demonstrations is unacceptable.”

Trump’s message comes just over a week after the U.S. military removed Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro from power. The U.S. continues to mass an unusually large number of troops in the Caribbean Sea.

The United States revoked the visas of more than 100,000 foreign nationals last year, the State Department said yesterday.

This came to light as the Trump administration continues to enforce stricter immigration curbs.

The U.S. has been actively revoking visas for Nigerians and other nationals under the Trump administration, citing national security and criminal concerns like DUI, assault, and theft, with reports of thousands affected, including professionals and students, often without detailed explanation, creating significant disruption.

DUI means Driving Under the Influence, a crime for operating a vehicle while impaired by alcohol or drugs, leading to penalties like fines, license suspension, and jail time, with related terms like DWI (Driving While Intoxicated) and OWI (Operating While Intoxicated) used in different places for the same offence.

It applies to alcohol, prescription meds, or other impairing substances, and even minor impairment can result in a charge.

This intensified scrutiny is part of a broader policy to curb immigration and enforce stricter vetting, impacting various visa types and leading to concerns about transparency and due process,

“In less than one year, the State Department revoked over 100,000 visas from foreign nationals, marking a new record and more than a 150% increase in revocations since 2024,” deputy spokesman Tommy Pigott said in an emailed statement.

He added that the revocations included thousands of foreign nationals charged or convicted of crimes, including assault, theft, and driving under the influence.

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“The State Department’s recently launched Continuous Vetting Centre works to ensure that all foreign nationals on American soil comply with our laws — and that the visas of those who pose a threat to American citizens are swiftly revoked,” Pigott said.

“The Trump administration will continue to put America first and protect our nation from foreign nationals who pose a risk to public safety or national security,” he added.

The statement came amid the administration’s broader crackdown on immigrants, which has extended to international students and activists critical of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. Legal challenges have pushed back against these actions.

Turkish PhD student Rumeysa Ozturk, who was arrested on the street by plainclothes ICE agents after co-authoring an op-ed on Gaza, was later released from ICE detention, and a federal judge restored her student record in December.

Mahmoud Khalil, a lawful U.S. resident and pro-Palestinian activist at Columbia University, was also released and has legally challenged the revocation of his visa.

UNITED States (U.S.) President Donald Trump on Sunday said no more Venezuelan oil or money will go to Cuba and suggested the Communist-run island should strike a deal with Washington, ramping up pressure on the long-time U.S. nemesis and provoking defiant words from the island’s leadership.

Venezuela is Cuba’s biggest oil supplier, but no cargoes have departed from Venezuelan ports to the Caribbean country since the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by US forces in early January amid a strict US oil blockade on the OPEC country, shipping data shows.

Meanwhile, Caracas and Washington are progressing on a US$2 billion (S$2.57 billion) deal to supply up to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil to the US with proceeds to be deposited in US Treasury-supervised accounts, a major test of the emerging relationship between Trump and interim President Delcy Rodriguez.

“There will be no more oil or money going to Cuba –Zero! I strongly suggest they make a deal, before it is too late,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Sunday.

“Cuba lived, for many years, on large amounts of oil and money from Venezuela,” Trump added.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel rejected Trump’s threat on social media, suggesting the US had no moral authority to force a deal on Cuba.

“Cuba is a free, independent, and sovereign nation. Nobody dictates what we do,” Diaz-Canel said on X. “Cuba does not attack; it has been attacked by the US for 66 years, and it does not threaten; it prepares, ready to defend the homeland to the last drop of blood.”

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The U.S. president did not elaborate on his suggested deal.

But Trump’s push on Cuba represents the latest escalation in his move to bring regional powers in line with the United States and underscores the seriousness of the administration’s ambition to dominate the Western Hemisphere.

Trump’s top officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have made no secret of their expectation that the recent US intervention in Venezuela could push Cuba over the edge.

US officials have hardened their rhetoric against Cuba in recent weeks, though the two countries have been at odds since former leader Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said in another post on X on Sunday that Cuba had the right to import fuel from any suppliers willing to export it. He also denied that Cuba had received financial or other “material” compensation in return for security services provided to any country.

Thirty-two members of Cuba’s armed forces and intelligence services were killed during the US raid on Venezuela. Cuba said those killed were responsible for “security and defence” but did not provide details on the arrangement between the two long-time allies.

The U.S. seized an empty Russian-flagged, Venezuela-linked oil tanker in the Atlantic Ocean yesterday as part of President Donald Trump’s aggressive push to dictate oil flows in the Americas and force Venezuela’s socialist government to become an ally.

Trump said Tuesday that Venezuela will hand over tens of millions of barrels of oil to the United States, just days after a U.S. raid toppled the country’s anti-American president, leaving a more cooperative leader in charge.

Trump said 30–50 million barrels of “high‑quality, sanctioned” Venezuelan crude will be shipped to US ports, with the revenue — perhaps more than $2 billion at current market prices — placed under his personal control.

It was not immediately clear whether Venezuela’s new ruler — interim president Delcy Rodriguez — had agreed to hand over the oil, how the plan would work, or what its legal basis would be.

If confirmed, it would be the first major sign that Venezuela’s new leader and her military-backed government were willing to meet an extraordinary set of US demands.

Venezuelan authorities did not immediately respond to request for comment.

After capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in an attack on Caracas on Saturday, the U.S. is continuing to blockade vessels under sanctions off the South American country, a member of the OPEC oil group.

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The U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. military Special Forces apprehended the Marinera tanker, which had refused to be boarded last month and had switched to Russia’s flag, officials said.

The U.S. operation was supported by Britain’s Royal Air Force and one of its military vessels, which British Defence Secretary John Healey said was part of “global efforts to crack down on sanctions busting.”

With a Russian submarine and vessels nearby after a two-week pursuit in the Atlantic, the move risked more confrontation with Russia, which has condemned U.S. actions over Venezuela and is already at odds with the West due to the war in Ukraine.

Russian state broadcaster RT showed an image of a helicopter hovering near the Marinera, originally known as the Bella-1, as U.S. forces began boarding the U.S.-sanctioned tanker. It was empty, but Washington says it has been used to transport sanctioned Venezuelan oil.

The U.S. Coast Guard also intercepted a tanker carrying Venezuelan oil, the Panama-flagged M Sophia, near the northeast coast of South America, the U.S. officials said, in the fourth seizure in recent weeks. The tanker was fully loaded, according to records of state oil company PDVSA.

“The only maritime energy transport allowed will be that consistent with American law and national security,” Stephen Miller, deputy White House chief of staff, said in a statement on social media. “There is unlimited economic potential for the Venezuelan energy sector through legitimate and authorised commercial avenues established by the United States.”

Trump’s administration was also pressing a deal with Venezuela to divert supplies intended for China, Venezuela’s top buyer, and import up to $2 billion worth of crude oil.

“The United States’ brazen use of force against Venezuela and its demand for ‘America First’ when Venezuela disposes of its own oil resources are typical acts of bullying,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a press conference.

Trump has openly spoken of controlling Venezuela’s vast oil reserves, in conjunction with U.S. oil companies, after arresting and jailing Maduro, whom he has cast as a drug-trafficking dictator in league with Washington’s foes. Maduro pleaded not guilty this week to drug crimes in a federal court in New York.

Maduro’s Socialist Party allies remain in power in Venezuela, where Acting President Delcy Rodriguez is treading a fine line between denouncing his “kidnapping” and kick-starting cooperation with the U.S. under explicit threats from Trump.

The Republican president said the U.S. would refine and sell up to 50 million barrels of crude stuck in Venezuela under a U.S. blockade as a first step in his plan to revive a sector long in decline despite sitting on the largest reserves in the world.

“This Oil will be sold at its Market Price, and that money will be controlled by me, as President of the United States of America, to ensure it is used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States!” Trump posted on Tuesday.

Sources at PDVSA told Reuters negotiations for an export deal had progressed, though Venezuela’s government made no official announcement.

Crude oil prices fell on world markets due to anticipated increased supplies released by Trump’s plan.

China, Russia and leftist allies of Venezuela have all denounced the U.S. raid to capture Maduro, which was Washington’s biggest such intervention in Latin America since the 1989 invasion of Panama to topple Manuel Noriega.

Washington’s allies are also deeply uneasy at the extraordinary and precedent of seizing a foreign head of state, with Trump making a slew of threats of more action – from Mexico to Greenland – to further U.S. interests.

Venezuela has not confirmed its total losses from the attack on Caracas. The army posted a list of 23 of its dead and ally Cuba said 32 members of its military and intelligence services died.

Maduro, 63, who had ruled Venezuela since the 2013 death of his predecessor and mentor Hugo Chavez, pleaded not guilty on Monday to narcotics charges in a Manhattan court where he was shackled at the ankles and wore orange-and-beige prison garb.

Trump appears to be calculating that it is better for stability in Venezuela to work with Maduro’s senior allies for now. He is stressing revival of the oil sector with the help of U.S. firms as the priority, not the freeing of political prisoners or a new vote for a democratic transition.

Venezuela’s main anti-Maduro figure Maria Corina Machado, who left in disguise to pick up the Nobel Peace Prize in October, wants to return home where she says the opposition would easily win a free vote.

But she is also taking care not to antagonise Trump, saying she would like to personally give him the Nobel Prize, which he had coveted and which she dedicated to him at the time. She backs Trump’s desire to make Venezuela a major ally and the energy hub of the Americas.

While working with Rodriguez and other top Venezuelan officials, the U.S. has warned they must cooperate or risk sharing Maduro’s fate.