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A Republican senator publicly speculated that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro might seek refuge in Türkiye or Iran, as the Trump administration intensified pressure on Caracas with a declaration that Venezuelan airspace should be considered closed and a major military deployment already underway in the Caribbean.
Senator Lindsey Graham posted on social media Saturday praising President Donald Trump's approach to Venezuela, calling Maduro's government a "narcoterrorist state" and concluding with a pointed remark: "I hear Türkiye and Iran are lovely this time of year..." The comment references both countries' longstanding diplomatic and economic support for Maduro's government, including Iranian oil shipments and Turkish facilitation of gold trades.
"For over a decade, Maduro has controlled a narcoterrorist state that is poisoning America and he has created alliances with international terrorist organizations like Hezbollah," Graham wrote, adding that Maduro "is an illegitimate leader who has been indicted for drug trafficking in U.S. courts."
Trump's airspace warning came hours after Graham's post. Writing on Truth Social, the president addressed airlines, pilots, drug dealers and human traffickers directly: "please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY." The president did not provide additional details about enforcement or timeline.
Graham's reference to Türkiye comes as the country's ties with Venezuela increased over the past decade, particularly as Maduro faced mounting international isolation. Diplomatic relations between the two nations, established in 1950, remained limited until 2016 when economic partnership accelerated dramatically.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has maintained strong support for Maduro despite widespread international rejection of Venezuela's 2019 and 2024 elections as fraudulent. When opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself interim president in 2019, Erdogan condemned the move and backed Maduro, tweeting that "only democratic elections can determine how a country is governed."
The relationship has proven lucrative for both countries. Reuters reported that 23 tons of mined gold traveled from Venezuela to Istanbul in 2018 alone, while Venezuelan gold exports to Türkiye surged from zero to $900 million in the first nine months of that year. Turkish Airlines launched direct flights between Caracas and Istanbul via Havana in December 2016 to facilitate expanding contacts.
According to an analysis by a former Turkish diplomat who recently served as Deputy of Head of Mission and Political Officer at the Turkish Embassy in Venezuela, Erdogan has drawn close to Maduro "based on the two leaders' mutual dislike of the West and frustration with U.S. sanctions," despite their ideological differences. The two presidents have met multiple times, including Erdogan's 2018 visit to Caracas and several trips by Maduro to Ankara.
The administration has deployed the world's largest aircraft carrier to the Caribbean as part of what Washington describes as an anti-drug trafficking operation, though Caracas maintains the ultimate goal is regime change. US forces have struck more than 20 alleged Venezuelan drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean since early September, killing at least 83 people.
Washington has not released evidence that the targeted vessels were used to smuggle drugs or posed a threat to the United States. Experts have characterized the strikes as extrajudicial killings even if the targets were known traffickers.
Trump warned earlier this week that efforts to halt Venezuelan drug trafficking "by land" would begin "very soon." Aircraft tracking websites have recorded constant US fighter jet activity just dozens of kilometers off the Venezuelan coast in recent days.
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US aviation authorities last week advised civilian aircraft operating in Venezuelan airspace to "exercise caution" due to the "worsening security situation and heightened military activity in or around Venezuela." Six major airlines that handle much of South America's air travel subsequently suspended flights to Venezuela, including Spain's Iberia, Portugal's TAP, Colombia's Avianca, Chile and Brazil's LATAM, Brazil's GOL and Turkish Airlines.
Venezuela responded by banning all six carriers for "joining the actions of state terrorism promoted by the United States government."
Regional cooperation with US operations has expanded. The Dominican Republic granted the United States permission this week to use airport facilities as part of its deployment, while Trinidad and Tobago, located only a few kilometers from Venezuela, recently hosted US Marine Corps exercises.
The New York Times reported Friday that Trump and Maduro spoke by phone last week and discussed a possible meeting in the United States, an unusual development given the sharp public rhetoric between Washington and Caracas.
Maduro, whose re-election last year was widely rejected by the international community as fraudulent, has staged military exercises and mass rallies aimed at projecting strength and popular support in response to US pressure. He maintains the operation is secretly designed to overthrow his government.
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