International Response to Venezuelan Disaster

Ever wonder where Tropicana got its name? The tropics . And every time you enjoy a glass, you're not just drinking juice, you're taking a trip. Stepping into sunshine and embarking on a flavorful journey into the tropics where ripe fruit is crafted into wildly delicious juice. And the best part, no passport required. Tropicanna, give life some juice It's Thursday the twenty fifth of June . Welcome to the PDB afternoon bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right , let's get briefed. First up, Iran is revealing its plans for the Strait of Hormuz. Oh, it's got plans. New reporting suggests the regime wants a permanent role in managing one of the world's most important waterways and potentially taking in billions of dollars a year in the process. Later in the show, disaster strikes Venezuela, where two powerful earthquakes rock the capital and the surrounding region within moments of each other. We'll bring the latest from the ground as rescue crews, including from the U. S. race to find survivors as the death toll continues to climb. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. Well, the shooting may have stopped, at least for now, but the battle over the Strait of Hormuz appears to be entering a new phase. According to reporting from the Wall Street Journal, Iran is laying out its vision for the future of one of the world's most important waterways , and its a vision that would give Techran more influence, more authority, and potentially tens of billions of dollars in new revenue each year. Iranian officials estimate that a new system of fees for what they describe as a variety of maritime services in the Strait of Hormuz could generate as much as forty billion dollars annually for the countries that would be involved, with Iran, of course, playing a central role in managing the waterway. Iran isn't talking about simply charging every tanker a fee that passes through the strait. Instead, officials are describing a broader system in which ships would pay for services associated with transiting the waterway, everything from navigation assistance to environmental protection, maritime safety , security coordination, and insurance . But while the details remain vague, the broader objective is becoming increasingly clear . Iran isn't interested in just reopening the Strait of Hormuz after the recent conflict, it wants a permanent role in deciding how the strait is managed going forward . And that may be the most significant consequence of this conflict. The agreement that ended the fighting restored toll free passage Earl East was supposed to restore toll free passage through the Strait of Hormuz for an initial sixty day period while Iran works to clear mines and reopen the shipping lanes. Traffic has begun to recover. Insurance rates are falling , and commercial vessels are slowly transiting. But from Tehran's perspective, the war changed something far more important than just shipping patterns. For decades, the international community largely operated under the assumption that the Strait of Hormuz would remain open under the international standard of freedom of navigation. The recent conflict demonstrated that Iran possesses the ability, whether temporarily or for an extended period to disrupt one of the world's most strategically important maritime chokepoints. In other words, Techran believes it's proven something , and now it wants that new reality reflected in whatever comes next. Perhaps the clearest indication came from Iran's chief negotiator, Mohammed Baker Galib Fu declared this week that management of the strait will never return to the way it was before at least in his opinion , that single sentence may be the real headline here . It's about Iran attempting to convert wartime leverage into long term political and economic benefit. We're already seeing small examples of what that could look like. Iran has reportedly established an insurance company that it says vessels should use when transiting the strait . Ships are also being instructed to register their transit plans in advance and remain within designated shipping routes identified by Iranian authorities. Taken together, they assault points toward a future in which Iran exercises a much greater role in overseeing traffic through a critical oil corridor. To justify that approach, Iranian officials have pointed two other international waterways . One that's frequently cited is Turkey's control over the Dardanelles, where an international treaty allows Angura to collect certain fees for services provid ed to commercial shipping. Iranian officials have suggested that a similar model could eventually emerge in the Strait of Homuz, with Gulf States sharing responsibility and revenue for managing the strait But that's where Iran's ambitions begin running into reality. Secretary of State Marko Rubio rejected the proposal during a trip to the Middle East this week, arguing that allowing countries to charge for passage through international waterways would create a dangerous precedent. He also noted that America's golf partners have shown little interest in supporting such a system . Maritime law experts are equally skeptical. Unlike Turkey's arrangement in the Dardanell es, which is governed by a unique international treaty, the Strait of Hormuz is subject to long established international maritime conventions. Experts say that Iran can't simply impose fees on international shipping by itself . Any lasting arrangement would almost certainly require broad international agreement, including approval through organizations like the International Maritime Organization. Even so, Iran is already lobbying region al governments, along with countries such as China and Egypt in an effort to build support for its vision. Now, whether that effort succeeds, of course, remains to be seen. But regardless of the outcome, the proposal tells us something important about how the Iranian regime views the post war landscape. The bottom line is that the US and Iran have different perspectives on how this conflict played out and the resulting landscape. The White House continues to talk about holding all the cards, stating that Iran is helpless and begging for a deal. The reality is now the Iranian regime doesn't see it that way. They believe they are arguing or negotiating from a position of strength , the regime still exists, even after significant damage to their military and military industrial infrastructure, and even after significant economic sanctions and a blockade on Iranian oil exports. Now, the regime, the Islamic Republic , in exchange for allowing the strait to reopen, is seeing economic benefits from sanctions waivers and an ability to now sell oil and dollars to a broader market. They don't think they've lost, and they believe they can continue using the Strait as a bargaining chip for further concessions, all while kicking the can down the road on any meaningful nuclear discussions. In fact, the regime wasted no time in refuting U. S. claims that there was an agreement to allow UN inspectors into Iranian nuclear facilities. The actions, the behavior of the Iranian regime are not the actions or behavior of an adversary that believes it's been defeated and holds no cards at the table. The White House may believe it's got all the cards, and that somehow they're dealing with a different Iranian government or regime . But this is the same Islamic Republic. Faces have changed within the leadership structure to be sure, but the ideology, the belief system, the behavior, none of that has changed. All right, coming up next, Venezuela is reeling after two near simultaneous earthquakes struck the nation's capital and nearby communities. We'll examine the damage, the rescue effort, and what officials are currently saying . I'll be right back . Hey, Mike Baker here. Well, the warm weather has finally arrived, and unique clothing built to handle the heat. Pancho Outdoors shirts are lightweight, they're breathable, they're quick drying, and they're made with built in stretch to keep you comfortable, whether you're fishing or working outdoors or just heading into town for dinner. Plus, UPF fifty plus sun protection helps keep you covered all day long. 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Geological Survey measured the quakes at magnitude seven point two and seven point five , the strongest to hit the country in more than a century. For perspective, the larger quake released roughly the same amount of energy as one hundred and eighty Hiroshima atomic bombs . Both were centered near the town of Yumare , roughly two hundred miles west of the capital, and because they struck just thirty nine seconds apart, residents barely had time to process the first shock before the second hit. As for the shaking, it was felt across much of northern South America. Buildings were even evacuated in Brazilian Amazonian cities more than a thousand miles from Caracas, and inside Venezuela, the damage was immediate. Images and videos posted to social media reveal residential buildings, businesses and other structures collapsed across Caracas, and the coastal st ate of Laguera, trapping an unknown number of people beneath the rubble. As of early today, Venezuelan officials said at least one hundred and sixty four people had been killed and nearly a thousand injured, but those numbers may only be the beginning. The USGS warned that quote, high casualties and extensive damage are probable, estimating the final death toll could climb to at least ten thousand people, and potentially as many as one hundred thousand . This is not just a major earthquake hitting a stable country, by the way, with modern infrastructure and deep emergency reserves. This is Venezuela, a country still trying to recover, from years of economic decline and neglected infrastructure left over from the Chavez and Maduro eras. The timing only made matters worse. A majority of Venezuelans were at home celebrating the Battle of Carabobo Day. That's one of the country's most important national holidays commemor ating Venezuela's independence from Spain when the earthquake struck. The disaster is becoming the first major humanitarian test of the new relationship between Washington and Caracas. President Trump took to Truth Social, posting, quote, The USA stands ready, willing, and able to help. I've instructed all agencies of our government to get ready to move quickly. We will be there for our new and great friends, end quote. Secretary of State Mark Rubio later confirmed he'd spoken directly with interim Venezuelan President Delsi Rodriguez to coordinate American assistance, including search and rescue teams, logistical support , and overhead imagery to help identify the hardest hit areas . Now that level of cooperation would have been almost unimaginable just a few years ago. During Nicolas Maduro's reign, repeated U. S. efforts to deliver humanitarian assistance were rejected or blocked by his regime, portraying aid as foreign interference rather than relief. Today, that relationship looks very different. As regular PDB listeners know, since Maduro's capture, Washington and Caracas have steadily expanded cooperation on security and intelligence matters, allowing both governments to coordinate almost immediately after the earthquake struck. Rodriguez thanked both Trump and the U. S. saying American officials had remain ed, quote, in constant contact with the Venezuelan authorities and solidarity to the people of Venezuela. For Venezuela's government, however, the real challenge is only beginning. Beyond rescuing survivors, officials must now restore transportation, electricity, communications, hospitals, and housing . And unfortunately, the earthquakes may not be over. A magnitude four point five aftershock struck just nineteen minutes after the two main quakes , followed by another, measuring four point four roughly seven hours later. More than a dozen aftershocks have already rattled the region, and the USGS says there's a ninety four percent chance that at least one magnitude five aftershock will occur over the coming week . And that my friends is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Thursday the twenty fifth of June. Now, if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at the firsttv dot com. And to listen to the show add free, you can do that. It's very simple. Just become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief by visiting pdbremium dot com dot I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back tomorrow until then stay informed, stay safe , stay cool Hey, Mike Baker here. Let me ask you a question. How many times during the week? Do you drop ten or twenty or thirty dollars on essentially meaningless items, right? Impulse buys or just stuff that you honestly don't need. Now those impulse purchases, well they add up and by the end of the week or the month, well you're wondering where your money's gone. 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