US Secretary of State Marco Rubio takes his seat before the start of a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing to examine US policy towards Venezuela on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, January 28, 2026. [Saul Loeb/AFP]

Rubio rules out military action in Venezuela, with an exception

The Trump administration does not “intend or expect” to again take military action in Venezuela, Secretary of State and National Security Adviser Marco Rubio told the US Congress, but theoretical threats like an “Iranian drone factory” could change the government’s thinking.