Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro announced on September 15th, 2025, at approximately 6:50 PM UTC that all communications and interlocutions with the United States have been "completely finished" and "discarded." Earlier in the hour, Maduro also referred to Secretary Marco Rubio as "the Lord of Death and War," stating, "Where there is death, there are bombs, there are killed children." Maduro's declaration signifies a complete breakdown in diplomatic channels, following his earlier statement around 6:00 PM UTC that communications have been "thrown in the trash." This escalation in rhetoric comes amid his government's conviction that a US military offensive is imminent, a belief that has been developing throughout the day. The previous report from 6:03 PM UTC indicated Maduro's government dismissed current events as negotiation tactics, reinforcing their belief in an impending US military action. This heightened concern was reportedly linked to claims of naval deployments, though a video circulated earlier on September 15th, reportedly AI-generated, was used to depict the "Navy Bolivarina" for morale purposes, with questions raised about the authenticity of original naval imagery.
