EPISODE 029: IN VENEZUELA, WHAT JUST HAPPENED IS CALLED ELITE BETRAYAL

Fast.

Relentless.

Precise.

Certain.

I’m not offering analysis—just impressions. Raw, unfiltered sensation. The kind that crawls up your spine before the headlines catch up.

There was knowledge.

Not rumor. Not speculation. But knowledge.

Someone inside Venezuela’s ruling structure knew. Knew the exact hour, the flight path, the target list. Knew the U.S. wasn’t bluffing—they were coming to extract.

And yet… that knowledge didn’t reach Nicolás Maduro.

Because it wasn’t meant to.

---

THE SIGNAL WAS SENT—BUT NOT TO HIM

The intelligence flow wasn’t broken. It was rerouted.

Special services? Military comms? Surveillance chatter? Doesn’t matter.

What matters is this: the signal went “up”… but stopped just short of the president’s desk.

It went elsewhere.

To the men who stand just behind him in photos.

The ones with the same weight, the same posture, the same silence.

I keep seeing a face—

Not tall. Stocky. Receding hairline. Eyes that have watched too many purges and survived them all.

A man with epaulettes. A man who whispers in the inner sanctum.

Diosdado Cabello. Or maybe Vladimir Padrino López.

Does it matter which one? They’ve both been waiting.

Not for democracy. Not for freedom.

For a deal.

---

A COUP DISGUISED AS A RAID

The operation was surgical—yet absurdly theatrical.

U.S. helicopters descending on Fuerte Tiuna like it’s 1989 Panama.

Maduro dragged out in pajamas (or so the leaks say). His wife beside him. No resistance. No shoot-out. No last stand.

Meanwhile, on the streets of Caracas:

Men on mopeds waving red flags.

“¡Defendamos a Maduro!” they shout—while standing next to unmarked SUVs with U.S. diplomatic plates idling nearby.

It’s theater.

Staged for history. For CNN. For domestic consumption in both Caracas and Washington.

But for Maduro?

This was real.

The walls didn’t close slowly—they vanished in an instant.

---

THE REAL PLAN: HAND OVER THE OIL, KEEP THE GUNS

Don’t be fooled by the talk of “narco-terrorism” or “democratic restoration.”

This was never about justice.

It was always about control—of oil, of geography, of the Monroe Doctrine’s last unclaimed prize.

The U.S. didn’t invade to install Maria Corina Machado.

They invaded to install access.

And the Venezuelan generals?

They’ll play along.

They’ll pledge loyalty to “constitutional order.” They’ll sign production-sharing agreements with Chevron by noon.

They’ll open the Orinoco Belt like a birthday present.

But here’s the catch:

They won’t hold Venezuela together.

The moment the U.S. thinks it’s won, the fractures will explode.

The militias. The colectivos. The Colombian guerrillas in the border zones. The Cubans who vanish into the hills. The Chinese contractors who still hold port leases. The Russians with their radar stations near Puerto Ordaz.

This isn’t a transition.

It’s detonation.

---

THE DOMINOES HAVE FALLEN—NOW WATCH THEM BURN

Diplomacy? Gone.

International law? A footnote.

Russia and China are screaming—but they’re already drafting evacuation lists.

The UN is “alarmed.” The OAS is “monitoring.”

And in Washington, Marco Rubio is already drafting the next sanctions list—this time for anyone who questions the “legitimacy” of the new military junta.

But the truth is this:

The U.S. has just lit a fuse that runs through Bogotá, Lima, Brasília, and maybe even Mexico City.

Because if Washington can pluck a sitting president out of his palace like a bad tooth—

Who’s next?

The illusion of sovereignty in Latin America is over.

But so is the illusion of control.

You can seize the oil—but you can’t stop the civil war that follows.

The chaos won’t stay in Venezuela. It’ll bleed north. South. Across the Caribbean. Into U.S. streets, via refugees, via blowback, via the sheer gravitational pull of blow-up empires.

---

FINAL THOUGHT

Maduro wasn’t overthrown by drones.

He was overthrown by silence.

The silence of men who stood beside him for 15 years…

and chose, in the end, to say nothing at all.

Oil will flow—for a while.

Then the ground will crack open.

And everyone who thought this was a victory

will realize:

They didn’t take Venezuela.

They inherited its curse.

— Yellowstone-End

→ yellowstone-end.blogspot.com

The Strait of Hormuz: a geographical hub capable of sinking the global economy

  

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the most strategically important and vulnerable areas on the world map. Located between Iran and Oman, it connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and serves as a key transportation artery for global energy supplies. It is through it that a significant part of the world's exports of oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) pass.

In recent years, this narrow waterway has become a symbol of geopolitical tension, especially in the context of Iran's threats to block the strait, which could be a response to external pressure or military influence. Although such actions remain in the warning stage, the consequences of such a scenario can be catastrophic.

Key facts about the Strait of Hormuz:

1. 21 million barrels of oil per day: About 21 million barrels of oil pass through the strait every day, which is about a third of the world's total maritime oil trade.

2. Territorial waters, not international ones: At the narrowest point of the strait (only 34 km wide) there are no international waters — there are exclusively territorial waters of Iran and Oman, which makes it particularly vulnerable to control or blockade by Tehran.

3. The price of oil will soar to $ 100-120 per barrel: The closure of the strait will cause an instant shock in the energy market. Experts predict a sharp jump in oil prices — at least to the level of $ 100-120 per barrel, which will hit the budgets of countries and the cost of living around the world.

4. China, India, Japan, South Korea are the main victims: These countries depend on cross-strait supplies more than others. Blocking the way will be an economic crisis for them, which will cause an increase in fuel and energy prices, which will inevitably provoke a surge in inflation and a slowdown in growth.

The United States and its allies have repeatedly stated that they will protect free navigation in the region by any means. However, given the growing tension around Iran and its nuclear program, as well as after a series of provocations and attacks on tankers in the area, the question is not about intentions, but about the real possibility of preventing escalation.

The Strait of Hormuz is not just a strip of water. It is the blood vessel of the global economy, and any damage to it can lead to a systemic crisis. And Iran, as the party controlling one of the sides of the strait, has a powerful instrument of pressure in its hands — even without a direct military conflict.

Iran is considering closing the Strait of Hormuz, threatening global oil supplies

Iran is seriously exploring the possibility of closing the Strait of Hormuz, a strategically important sea route through which about a quarter of the world's oil supplies and a significant portion of liquefied natural gas pass. This was stated by Ismail Kousari, a member of the Commission on National Security and Foreign Policy of the Iranian parliament, Rokna news agency reports.

The closure of the strait will be a serious blow to global energy security, as the Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf with the Indian Ocean and is a key route for oil exports from the Persian Gulf countries. If such a step is implemented, oil supplies may be seriously disrupted, which will lead to a sharp increase in energy prices — experts predict an increase in oil prices to 110-130 dollars per barrel and above.

Consideration of the issue of closing the Strait is taking place against the background of large-scale Israeli airstrikes on Iran's nuclear and military facilities as part of Operation Lion Rising. In response, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched rocket attacks on Israel as part of Operation True Promise 3. These events have increased tensions in the region and forced Tehran to consider extreme measures.

In addition, Iran has warned that it will attack military bases and naval vessels of France, Britain and the United States in the Middle East if they support Israel. Such an escalation could lead to further destabilization of the situation in the region and in the global energy market.

In light of these events, the largest shipowners are already being cautious by rejecting new contracts for sailing through the Strait of Hormuz, which further complicates the logistics of oil and gas supplies.

Thus, the possible closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran is a serious challenge to the global economy and security, which can lead to global consequences.

Trump threatens to impose duties on Russian oil over Ukraine: what's happening?

 

On Sunday, US President Donald Trump said aboard Air Force One that he was "angry" with Russian President Vladimir Putin and would impose secondary duties ranging from 25% to 50% on Russian oil buyers if he believed Moscow was blocking his efforts to end the war in Ukraine. This statement became top news in many American media outlets, both Democratic and Republican.

Trump's statement was made in response to Putin's comments about the illegitimacy of the Zelensky regime and the possible introduction of external control by the UN in Ukraine. In the United States, talks have begun about imposing duties against Russia and increasing arms supplies to Ukraine.

The situation around Ukraine continues to be tense, and such statements by the American president can only worsen relations between the two countries. It is important that the parties take steps towards dialogue and peaceful resolution of the conflict, avoiding escalation and provocations.