Congressman Carlos Giménez confirmed this Saturday that the 10 F-35 fighter jets sent by the United States to Puerto Rico to fight drug trafficking in the Caribbean had already been used in missions against the Iranian regime.

“As a member of the Armed Forces Commission, I can confirm that the F-35 aircraft in Puerto Rico are the ones used in missions against the Iranian regime. Our military deployment against the Cartel of the Suns is the largest in the history of the Caribbean,” Giménez said in a message posted on his X account.

On Friday, the legislator stressed that the US operation sends a “very clear signal” to Nicolás Maduro and the Chavista leadership, just after the controversial episode on Thursday, when two F-16 fighters from the Venezuelan Armed Forces flew over the destroyer USS Jason Dunham, which was sailing in international waters in the Caribbean.

The Department of Defense called the action a"provocative maneuver" and warned that the U.S. Navy will continue to operate freely anywhere in the world where international law permits.

For Giménez, the deployment of the F-35s reinforces Washington's determination to directly confront the Cartel of the Suns, identified by the United States as one of the main drug trafficking players operating out of Venezuela.