Trump claimed on his social platform Truth Social that a "massive fleet is heading toward Iran" and issued a new threat to Tehran amid the one-month anniversary of anti-government protests in Iran. Trump said "time is running out," urging Iran to "reach an agreement as soon as possible," and warned that if the U.S. takes military action against Iran again, the damage would be "far greater" than the strike last year that he authorized, which severely damaged Iran's nuclear facilities. In recent days, Iranian authorities have carried out a strong crackdown on the ongoing month-long protests, further escalating regional tensions.
Meanwhile, in Congress, Rubio attended a hearing of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations to defend the government's recent detention of Maduro, facing harsh questioning from lawmakers of both parties. Rubio emphasized that the U.S. will not use taxpayer funds to support the Venezuelan regime or subsidize U.S. companies' energy investments there, and insisted that this large-scale military operation "does not constitute a war" because the power to declare war belongs solely to Congress. Democratic Senator Duckworth asked in a heated exchange whether, since the government denies being in a state of war with Venezuela, it should revoke the deportation measures previously cited by Trump under the Enemy Alien Act targeting suspected members of Venezuelan gangs. Rubio clearly rejected this. He also reiterated the government's goal of pushing Venezuela to restore democracy through free and fair elections, but did not provide a specific timeline, stating that the situation remains unstable and requires more time.
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Original article: toutiao.com/article/1855629750031370/
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