Unusual American Military Activity In The UK and Europe?

First Venezuela, Next Iran?

 TYLER DURDEN

Top US officials have been eager to capitalize on the Trump-ordered military raid on Caracas, which saw the Venezuelan capital bombed and its longtime socialist leader Nicolás Maduro captured without major incident and transferred to US soil where's facing federal drug charges related to narco-trafficking and gun-running.

Hawkish pundits are already clamoring for more muscular action targeting Tehran (and other supposed 'rogue' actors) at a moment of ongoing economic protests in Iran pressuring Islamic Republic leaders. Trump is issuing veiled threats to the governments of Cuba, Colombia, and Mexico - but many are asking: is Iran next? Various open source intelligence channels (OSINT) on Sunday have highlighted some unusual American military activity in the UK and Europe, for example...

Something unusual appears to be going on today at RAF Fairford near Gloucestershire in the United Kingdom, with at least 10 C-17A Globemaster IIIs with the U.S. Air Force arriving at the base or currently crossing the Atlantic from the United States. Almost all of the C-17s appear to be out of either Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Georgia, the home of the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment and the 3rd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR); or Campbell Army Airfield in Kentucky, which houses the 101st Airborne Division and the 1st/2nd Battalions of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR).

It's hard to know if this constitutes the usual Pentagon logistical operations in Europe, but it does indeed raise questions regarding Washington's force posture vis-a-vis Iran. 

One theme of the last several months of Trump's military build-up in the southern Caribbean has been that in sending so many warships to Venezuelan waters, including at least one nuclear-powered submarine and the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier group, is that this level of military asset concentration in Latin America means less deadly or long-range assets in the Middle East (CENTCOM) area of operation.

But could we be witnessing a quick pivot, now with Maduro awaiting trial in New York?

There are various things to consider when it comes to potential White House discussions on the matter. First, it must be recalled that Trump wisely declared mission accomplished when US bombers 'obliterated' (in the US estimation) Iran's three most important nuclear development sites at the tail-end of the June Israel-Iran war, which lasted just 12 days. There was no sustained American bombing campaign against Iran, also as Trump knows that "doing another Iraq" would be hugely unpopular at home.

There's another difficult reality when it comes to US actions targeting Iran, which behind Venezuela also possesses among the world's biggest proven reserves of crude oil. Iran is a country of over 90 million people, has a large military overseen by the elite IRGC, has long been 'military tested' (the 1980's Iran-Iraq war comes to mind), and has one of the world's premier arsenals of mid and long-range ballistic missiles. It even posses hypersonic capabilities (which the Israelis also learned). Because of this, last June Israeli warplanes were careful to operate largely outside Iranian airspace, and even though many anti-air missile sites were allegedly destroyed, this threat remains strong.

Reports of more IRGC missile tests over Iran Sunday night into Monday...

More....

Israeli military ordered to prepare for war on all fronts amid Iranian protests

Israeli military ordered to prepare for war on all fronts amid Iranian protests

RT

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have been ordered to prepare for a possible simultaneous war against Iran, Lebanon, and the West Bank, according to Israeli Channel 12. One scenario reportedly includes an “explosive operation” against Tehran, which is currently facing widespread Israeli-backed cost-of-living protests.

The preparations are part of a four-year long-term plan led by IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, the broadcaster revealed on Wednesday. On top of war readiness, they also reportedly include plans to develop capabilities to attack both satellites and ground targets from space.

Officials in West Jerusalem expect Iran to attack Israel to “prevent the dissolution” of the Iranian government under the pressure of the protests, Channel 12 said.

Israel has held off on officially commenting on the mass unrest shaking Iran, concerned about a potential military response, Channel 12 claimed. However, Israel’s Mossad spy agency has openly backed the protests on social media, and claimed that it has agents embedded in the demonstrations.

The demonstrations began in late December, prompted by hyperinflation and an enduring economic crisis in the sanctioned Islamic Republic.

The unrest, the worst in recent years, rapidly spread to multiple cities and reportedly led to deadly clashes with the Iranian authorities, with some protesters demanding the reinstatement of the monarchy, ousted by the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

US President Donald Trump has threatened to militarily intervene. “We are locked and loaded and ready to go” if Iran kills “peaceful protesters,”he said on Truth Social on Friday.

Just days before, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Florida, Trump threatened to back new airstrikes on Iran if it ramps up its ballistic missile program.

Last June, Trump ordered the US military to join coordinated military strikes with Israel against Iranian nuclear sites during an open conflict between Tehran and West Jerusalem. He claimed the attack preempted the development of a nuclear weapon by the Islamic Republic – allegations Iran denied, condemning the attack as unprovoked.

'New Wall of Non-OPEC' Oil Coming to Market as US Seizure of Venezuela Unfolds - Expert

'New Wall of Non-OPEC' Oil Coming to Market as US Seizure of Venezuela Unfolds - Expert

Sputnik

The global oversupply in oil is likely to exceed levels previously forecast for this year, posing a new challenge to OPEC as Venezuela looks poised to pump more crude under US charge, energy markets commentator John Kilduff told Sputnik.

"OPEC could be overwhelmed by a new wall of non-OPEC supply that’s coming to the market," said Kilduff, partner at New York energy hedge fund Again Capital and a leading voice on the geopolitical risk in energy markets. 

Following the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife by US forces on Saturday, the Trump administration announced that it would be "running" both the Latin American country and its oil trade. 

OPEC, or the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, estimated Venezuelan crude production at approximately 1.1 million barrels per day (bpd) in its latest monthly report. China consistently absorbs between 75% and 80% of Venezuela's crude exports, estimated at around 900,000 bpd, OPEC said. The balance 200,000 bpd is refined domestically into fuels.

"My thinking is that with full US backing, Venezuelan production could gain an additional 200,000 bpd over the next three months," Kilduff said. "From there, it will likely climb by an average of 25,000 to 50,000 bpd each month. If you put it all together, we’re looking at a production high of 1.75 million bpd by the end of the year, or 60% higher from current levels."

Eight oil producers in OPEC+ are to meet Sunday to review their decision to freeze output hikes in the first quarter of this year. OPEC+, as a whole, is a 22-nation alliance comprising the 12-member OPEC and 10 other oil producing countries. The OPEC+ eight, however, form a core group of the alliance’s most influential members. This is the group that added almost 3 million barrels per day to supply last year, prioritizing market share over prices.

The Venezuelan development could, however, be a new challenge to OPEC, said Kilduff, who noted that US production itself had hit a record high of 13.9 million bpd in 2025. On top of that, Brazil saw its own peak of 4.03 million bpd while Guyana crested at 900,000 bpd, he added. 

Both OPEC and the US Energy Information Administration say that Venezuela has the world's largest proven oil reserves, estimated at approximately 303 billion barrels — or nearly one-fifth of the entire world’s proven crude reserves. To bring Venezuelan production back to its heyday output of around 3.5 million barrels, an investment of some $58 billion to over $110 billion would, however, be required, experts say.

China And Russia Respond To U.S. Capture Of Maduro

China And Russia Respond To U.S. Capture Of Maduro

Anthony

The supposed allies of Venezuela have given their response to the United States’ capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.

Shortly after President Trump announced Nicolas Maduro was captured by U.S. special forces, both China and Russia issued statements condemning the U.S. actions.

In both Russia’s and China’s statements, the two countries claimed the U.S. violated international law.

Yahoo Finance gave direct quotes from a Beijing spokesperson:

China said it’s “deeply shocked” by the US’s military strikes on Venezuela and its capture of President Nicolas Maduro.

China “strongly condemns the US’s blatant use of force against a sovereign state and action against its president,” a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a statement late Saturday. “Such hegemonic acts of the US seriously violate international law and Venezuela’s sovereignty, and threaten peace and security in Latin America and the Caribbean region. China firmly opposes it.”

China the biggest buyer of oil from the South American country, as well as its largest creditor — is the latest in a string of global leftist nations including Brazil, Russia, Colombia, Mexico and Cuba that have denounced the US military action against Venezuela. In the run-up to Saturday’s strike, Beijing had offered its support to the Maduro regime following months of growing pressure from the Trump administration.

“We call on the US to abide by international law and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and stop violating other countries’ sovereignty and security,” the ministry in Beijing said.

China is deeply shocked by and strongly condemns the U.S.’s blatant use of force against a sovereign state and action against its president.

Such hegemonic acts of the U.S. seriously violate international law and Venezuela’s sovereignty, and threaten peace and security in Latin America and the Caribbean region. China firmly opposes it.

We call on the U.S. to abide by international law and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and stop violating other countries’ sovereignty and security.

The Hill reported on Russia’s response:

Russia is offering stark criticism of the U.S. military attack on Venezuela, which resulted in the capture of President Nicolas Maduro.

In response, Russia called for a full meeting of the United Nations Security Council.

“This morning, the United States carried out an act of armed aggression against Venezuela. This causes deep concern and condemnation,” Russia said in a statement from its Foreign Ministry.

“The pretexts cited to justify such actions are unfounded. Ideologized hostility has prevailed over practical pragmatism and over a willingness to build relations based on trust and predictability,” Russian officials wrote, nearly five years into the nation’s own war in Ukraine.

Russia, a key ally of the Maduro regime, said it was crucial to “prevent further escalation and to focus on finding a way out through dialogue.”

“We proceed from the understanding that all parties who may have claims against one another should seek solutions through dialogue-based approaches. We are ready to support them in this,” the ministry said.

“Latin America must remain a zone of peace, as it declared itself in 2014. Venezuela must be guaranteed the right to determine its own destiny without any destructive, especially military, interference from outside,” it wrote. “We reaffirm our solidarity with the Venezuelan people and our support for the course of its Bolivarian leadership aimed at defending the country’s national interests and sovereignty.”

At least 2 dead after M6.5 earthquake strikes Guerrero and Mexico City, Mexico

At least 2 dead after M6.5 earthquake strikes Guerrero and Mexico City, Mexico

Rishav Kothari

At least two people were killed after a strong M6.5 earthquake hit Guerrero on January 2, 2026. Meanwhile, 17 people were injured as hundreds of homes were reportedly destroyed or damaged across Mexico due to the tremors and subsequent landslides. Over 1 000 aftershocks have been recorded since the mainshock as relief efforts and damage surveys continue.

A strong M6.5 earthquake struck Guerrero, Mexico on the morning of January 2, killing at least two and leaving 17 injured across the affected regions. 

The quake affected Mexico City along at least 16 municipalities in Guerrero, including Acapulco de Juárez, San Marcos, Tecoanapa, Las Vigas, and Ayutla de los Libres.

The La Raza Hospital in Mexico City reported collapsed ceilings, while a fire broke out on the Artículo 123 Street. Meanwhile, 44 transformers across the city were damaged and are being replaced and repaired by the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE).

At least 19 gas leaks have been reported in the municipality of Acapulco de Juárez due to 18 landslides along Escénica Avenue, Sinfonía del Mar, and the road to Pie de la Cuesta, which caused multiple homes and structures to collapse.

Over 1 071 aftershocks have been recorded since the quake, with the strongest measuring M4.7.

At least 50 homes were destroyed and 500 were damaged in San Marcos, according to media reports. Local authorities are still conducting surveys in the affected regions to determine the full scale of the damage.