Trump says Venezuela airspace 'closed in its entirety' amid threats of military action
Iran Press TV
Saturday, 29 November 2025 4:51 PM
US President Donald Trump says the entire airspace above Venezuela should be considered closed, further escalating tensions between the United States and the South American nation.
In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote on Saturday, "To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider the airspace above and surrounding Venezuela to be closed in its entirety."
There was no immediate response from Venezuela to Trump's remarks.
Last week, several airlines rerouted flights away from Venezuelan airspace after the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a warning about a "potentially hazardous situation" due to "worsening security and heightened military activity in or around" the country.
In retaliation, Venezuela revoked the operating licenses of six major international airlines that had suspended flights following the FAA alert.
The nation's civil aviation authority accused the carriers of "joining the actions of state terrorism promoted by the United States government and unilaterally suspending air commercial operations."
Since September, the US has carried out a series of strikes on boats in waters off Central and South America, claiming they were transporting narcotics to the United States. More than 80 people have been killed in the attacks.
Critics, including a growing number of members of the US Congress, argue that the strikes lack legal justification and amount to extrajudicial killings.
On Thursday, Trump threatened to target what he called Venezuelan drug trafficking "by land," saying, "Also, the land is easier, but that's going to start very soon."
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who has repeatedly denied any ties to the drug trade, condemned the US stance as "excuses and lies" used to justify intervention in his country.
In a nationally broadcast speech on Thursday, the Venezuelan leader vowed that his people would not be intimidated by Washington.
Observers warn that Washington's militarized posture toward Venezuela echoes a familiar strategy of regime change in Latin America.
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