US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is on a visit to Ecuador, said that Mexico's campaign against drug cartels is "completely insufficient," warning that the gangs threatening the country will have to be confronted "one way or another."
He stated, "There is vast territory in Mexico that is not subject to state control," praising Mexican efforts to confront drug gangs, but stressing the need to make more efforts.
Rubio arrived in Ecuador on Wednesday to advance the campaign against drug gangs that has turned the country into one of Latin America's most violent countries.
Ecuador is the second stop on Rubio's Latin American tour that includes three countries and aims to support pro-American conservative leaders in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, and to consolidate Washington's influence on the continent.
During his visit, he will discuss strengthening cooperation in extraditing criminals related to drug smugglers, while he is expected to push for military operations against suspected drug smugglers, and encourage investments in politically influential American technology companies such as Google, Palantir, and SpaceX.
On the eve of his visit, Rubio described Ecuador as “one of our closest security partners in the region,” indicating the possibility of closer cooperation with Quito.
A year ago, the US government launched a military air campaign targeting boats it said were smuggling drugs in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, killing more than 200 people so far.
In March, Ecuador joined the “Shield of the Americas,” a Washington-led coalition to combat drug trafficking in the region.
Finally, US-Ecuadorian patrols sank at least six fishing boats on charges of involvement in drug trafficking, although most of them carried only fuel, and some crew members were released without charges.
US President Donald Trump left Washington today, on board the presidential plane gifted by Qatar, heading to Texas, after accidentally opening one of the emergency evacuation sleds before removing it.
The evacuation sled apparently opened shortly before Trump was scheduled to board the plane to head to Dallas to attend the first-ever Republican convention in the middle of the election cycle. This problem delayed Trump's travel for a short period.
In response to a journalist's question whether he was sure the plane was safe to fly, Trump said, "Yes, I'm sure, otherwise I wouldn't be on board."
The emergency sled was removed.
The Boeing 747-8 usually contains 12 inflatable evacuation slides in case of emergency. These sleds are designed to enable passengers to reach the ground safely from a height of approximately 30 feet.
Trump began traveling on the giant plane on July 1 after he accepted it as a gift from Qatar last year. Extensive efforts were made to renovate the plane, a Boeing 747, before Trump began using it.
Trump said last week that the Boeing 747 would be taken out of service in October for unspecified security upgrades that would take about 60 days.
US President Donald Trump said today (Wednesday) that he expects the war with Iran to end “immediately” after the midterm elections for the US Congress in November, considering that Tehran is trying to influence the vote, but it will not be able to hold out for much longer.
He said in a statement he made to journalists, “I believe that the war will end immediately after the elections because Iran is unable to withstand for a longer period.”
He added: “Immediately after the elections, oil prices will fall,” considering that it is necessary to wait until after these elections.
The high cost of gasoline and diesel fuel raises the Republican Party's fear of suffering a crushing defeat in the midterm elections, which include the renewal of all seats in the House of Representatives and a third of the seats in the Senate.
On the other hand, the Democrats hope to wrest control of one or both chambers from the presidential camp.
On the other hand, Trump indicated that American forces carried out attacks on nine Iranian ships, and “you will see more of them.”
The US army, which imposed a blockade on Iranian ports in response to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, announced on Tuesday the destruction of five Iranian oil tankers in response to Iranian attacks.
In light of the renewed hostilities, the price of a barrel of Brent crude exceeded the $100 threshold on Wednesday for the first time since July, and European gas recorded its highest levels since the beginning of 2023.
