The US president has issued veiled threats, saying the Venezuelan leader could play tough but it would be “the last time”

US President Donald Trump has claimed that his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolas Maduro, would be “smart” to leave office as Washington intensifies its apparent efforts to remove him from power. 

The US has assembled a naval force that Trump calls “by far the biggest we ever had in South America” off Venezuela’s coast and is enforcing a blockade on its oil tanker traffic, citing unilateral sanctions. Since September, the US military has also been conducting strikes on small boats alleged to be carrying drugs, which UN experts have condemned as unlawful extrajudicial executions.

When asked repeatedly during a press conference on Monday if Washington’s intention was to force Maduro from power, Trump gave non-committal remarks alluding to that possibility. “He can do whatever he wants,” the president responded. “If he wants to do something, if he plays tough, it will be the last time he ever plays tough.” He also claimed it would be “smart” for Maduro to step down.

Earlier Monday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem suggested Maduro is the target of Washington’s actions during a ‘Fox and Friends’ interview.

“We’re not just interdicting these ships, but we’re also sending a message around the world that the illegal activity that Maduro is participating in cannot stand, he needs to be gone, and that we will stand up for our people,” she said.

The US pressure campaign has been condemned by other nations, including Russia. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called his Venezuelan counterpart, Yvan Gil, on Monday to express solidarity and share Moscow’s concern over “Washington’s increasingly escalatory actions in the Caribbean Sea.”

Russia’s Foreign Ministry has denied an Associated Press claim that it had begun evacuating families of diplomats from Venezuela.