The Trump administration would be faced with a binary choice should it fail to force the Maduro regime from power in Venezuela with its current tactic, according to a new report.
That choice would be between forcibly removing him through a military ground operation or backing down, the analysts told The Washington Post, noting that the prospect of the former scenario could be unappealing for many in the U.S., as well as Trump, who had promised no more wars during his campaign.
There are diverging views in Congress and the U.S. political landscape. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham appears to be supporting forceful actions against Maduro, saying "you cannot allow this man to remain standing after this show of force."
He was making reference to the fact that the U.S. has already deployed 15,000 troops in the Caribbean, as well as dozens of warships and aircraft.
In contrast, Republican Sen. Rand Paul slammed the recent seizure of tankers off Venezuela, saying he is against the moves and calling them a "provocation and a prelude to war."
"I'm not for confiscating these liners. I'm not for blowing up these boats of unarmed people that are suspected of being drug dealers. I'm not for any of this," Paul told ABC News.
He went on to slam the administration's policy regarding drug-trafficking, calling it "bizarre and contradictory," particularly due to recent the pardoning of former Honduran President Juan Orland Hernandez, sentenced to prison for drug-trafficking in the U.S.
"And then why is the former president Hernandez of Honduras, who was in jail for 45 years, why is he released?" Paul wondered during a passage of the interview.
Maduro, in the meantime, is refusing to relinquish power in the country, confident he can wait out the Trump administration's pressure campaign, according to another report by The Washington Post.
Even though Maduro is increasingly fearful of an attack against him or critical infrastructure, his regime is not showing signs of collapsing, outlet claimed, based on interviews with people close to the regime.
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