Palm Beach, Florida, 04 January (H.S.): President Donald Trump unveiled the inaugural image of captive Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro aboard a U.S. warship on Truth Social on January 3, 2026, depicting the 63-year-old clad in a drab gray sweatshirt and sweatpants, handcuffed, blindfolded, large headphones clamped over his ears, and desperately clutching a plastic water bottle mere hours post-Delta Force extraction from Caracas' Fuerte Tiuna fortress.

This stark visual, disseminated amid Trump's Mar-a-Lago press briefing, symbolized the pinnacle of Operation Absolute Resolve—over 150 aircraft spanning the hemisphere in a brilliant symphony of integration, as Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine lauded the flawless, lossless precision yielding Maduro and wife Cilia Flores for New York narco-terrorism indictments.

Maduro and his wife, both indicted, gave up and were taken into custody by the Department of Justice, assisted by our incredible US military, Caine affirmed.

Iconic Snapshot's Context

The photo, capturing Maduro's evident disorientation en route via USS Iwo Jima, followed Trump's avowal to run Venezuela interim-style, dispatching oil behemoths to mend infrastructure crippled under 2019 sanctions throttling output to one million daily barrels allegedly bankrolling drug terrorism, human trafficking, murder, and kidnapping.

Trump, viewing the television show-like raid live with aides, confirmed minor U.S. injuries sans fatalities, branding Maduro's poll victories fraudulent disgraces. Opposition luminary María Corina Machado hailed freedom's hour, urging Edmundo González Urrutia's presidency amid Venezuelan emergency declarations and condemnations from Russia, Iran, France, and the EU.

Global Ripples Intensify

This maneuver—echoing June 2025 Iranian nuclear strikes—embodies Trump's hemispheric dominance per his National Security Strategy, spurring anxieties worldwide as he menaced Tehran anew over protester crackdowns.

India cautioned citizens against Venezuelan travel, while VP Delcy Rodríguez demanded proof of life fortifying resources; Trump's Friday Iran threat amplified 2.0-era unilateralism, eclipsing consensus pursuits. The warship portrait cements Maduro's downfall, portending oil-fueled revival or entrenched proxy strife.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar