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The U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, warned that Venezuela has become a sanctuary for groups linked to Iran and Hezbollah, which poses an increasing threat to the region.
According to a report from Daily Wire, Rubio made the statement during an interview with host Sean Hannity on Fox News, where he analyzed the situation at the southern border of the United States and the destabilizing role of Nicolás Maduro's regime.
Rubio described the Venezuelan government as a failed dictatorship that exports chaos to the United States, and he denounced that "the humanitarian crisis is only part of the problem," highlighting the expanding Iranian influence in Latin America.
"The real danger lies in the presence of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and Hezbollah within Venezuela," stated the Secretary of State, warning that the Caribbean country has become an operational base for international terrorism in the Western Hemisphere.
Rubio explained that U.S. intelligence services have detected a sustained presence of Iranian operatives and financial networks linked to Hezbollah in Venezuelan territory, facilitated by the military apparatus of the Maduro regime.
More than eight million Venezuelans have fled the country in recent years, creating a regional impact and contributing to the increased flow of migration to the United States.
"Maduro has not only destroyed his country; he has allowed hostile actors to use Venezuela as a platform against the West," Rubio emphasized.
During the interview, the secretary also addressed the risks associated with the lack of immigration control and the inability to verify backgrounds of migrants coming from countries with the presence of terrorist organizations.
"No country can allow the entry of hundreds of thousands of people without facing consequences," he stated.
Rubio also criticized the agreement reached by the Biden administration with Maduro's regime, recalling that Caracas secured the release of its associates convicted of drug trafficking without fulfilling its promise to hold free elections.
"President Biden was deceived by Maduro. But he will not deceive Donald Trump," Rubio stated, reaffirming that the foreign policy of the current Republican government aims to contain the influence of Iran and its allies on the continent.
The secretary concluded that the threat emanating from Venezuela is not only migratory but also strategic and a matter of national security, and he urged the international community to recognize the link between the Chavista regime and global terrorism.
The escalation of tension between the United States and Venezuela reached a peak this Tuesday when Donald Trump stated that U.S. attacks against drug cartels within Venezuelan territory will begin “very soon,” a declaration that significantly heightens regional friction following a military operation in the Caribbean that has resulted in over 80 fatalities since September.
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