TEHRAN – Deadly U.S. attacks on ships in Caribbean waters off the coast of Venezuela and Colombia, combined with President Donald Trump’s growing threats, have thrust the region into the global spotlight. Nearly 30 people have been killed since early September in strikes that the Trump administration says are aimed at dismantling drug trafficking networks.
The latest attack on Thursday hit a ship in the area, killing two people. President Trump said U.S. intelligence confirmed the ship was “primarily loaded with fentanyl and other illegal drugs.” He added that the remaining two people who survived the attack will be repatriated to their countries of origin, Ecuador and Colombia. U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth further claimed that the ships had ties to left-wing rebel groups in Colombia, calling such ships a “cartel” of “Al Qaeda in the Western Hemisphere.”
Tensions between Bogota and Washington are escalating. On Sunday, Colombian President Gustavo Petro accused the United States of committing “murder” following a September 16 military attack on a boat in Colombian territorial waters. In response, President Trump labeled Petro an “illegal drug dealer” and threatened to cut U.S. funding to Colombia. Late Monday, Colombia announced it had recalled its ambassador to the United States in response to President Trump’s comments.
Last month, the United States revoked Petro’s visa after he took part in a pro-Palestinian demonstration in New York and called on American soldiers to disobey President Trump’s orders to “not point rifles at humanity.”
Colombia recalls ambassador to US amid diplomatic spat with Trump administration Meanwhile, President Trump has also targeted Venezuelan ships, accused Venezuela of sending drugs to the US, and claimed to have authorized covert CIA operations on Venezuelan territory. President Nicolas Maduro has warned that Trump is trying to turn Venezuela into an “American colony.” He also strengthened Venezuela’s defenses against U.S. military activity and mobilized millions of people to assert the country’s sovereignty. The United States has simultaneously expanded its military presence in the Caribbean, deploying guided missile destroyers and F-35 fighter jets, while increasing surveillance and operations along the region’s coastline.
President Trump has defended the ship attacks as part of a campaign to stem the flow of drugs into the United States, but his administration has provided little evidence about the identity of the ships or passengers. United Nations-appointed human rights experts have described the strikes as “extrajudicial executions.”
In addition to regional security concerns, tensions between the United States and Latin American leaders are rising over political alliances and positions in global conflicts. At the United Nations General Assembly in September, Petro gave a fiery speech condemning Israel’s actions in Gaza and calling for an international coalition to “liberate Palestine.” Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who has also condemned the “genocide” in Gaza, also showed an unusual gesture of solidarity by kissing Petro on the head. This is a sign of unity in a region often divided by ideology.
A historic and unprecedented moment occurred at the United Nations in September when Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva kissed Colombian President Gustavo Petro on the head after his speech at the United Nations General Assembly.
Brazilian journalist Guilherme Obrasser Palladino, political correspondent for Brazil 247, told the Tehran Times, “President Lula’s kiss on the head of President Petro reflects the harmony and closeness between the two leaders, especially on geopolitical issues. Petro is one of the Latin American leaders most committed to the Palestinian cause and social rights, and this resonates strongly with Lula’s own political trajectory. Ideological differences make unity difficult, but Lula considers Petro a key ideological ally.
President Maduro has also voiced support for Palestine and is further aligning Venezuela with regional leaders critical of U.S. foreign policy.
As the Caribbean becomes the focus of US military operations and escalating regional tensions, Latin American countries are asserting their sovereignty and challenging external intervention. Governments from Colombia to Venezuela are navigating a complex landscape of security threats, diplomatic pressure and domestic expectations, demonstrating a growing determination to protect regional autonomy. The unfolding developments highlight a hemisphere in which regional leadership and multilateral cooperation increasingly shape responses to the actions of world powers, with lasting implications for U.S.-Latin American relations.