Latin American countries are straining to cope with an influx of Venezuelan immigrants, a tide of humanity that is expected to increase in 2019 as the troubled socialist government of Nicolas Maduro clings to power.

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio on Sunday visited a border staging point for U.S. aid to Venezuela and warned soldiers loyal to socialist President Nicolas Maduro that would commit a “crime against humanity” if they block entry of the packages that are being channeled through Maduro’s rivals.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with the EU’s top diplomat in Brussels on Friday, a day after Vice President Mike Pence accused America’s traditional European allies of trying to undermine U.S. sanctions against Iran.

Iran is in possession of improved and dangerous weapons systems that give Tehran the ability to threaten some of the world’s most important waterways, according to the top American admiral in the Middle East.

No problem with the United States can be resolved and negotiations are a loss, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday in a statement published on his official website.

Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan arrived in Baghdad on Tuesday for an unannounced visit during which he said he would stress the importance of Iraqi sovereignty and broach the issue of the future of U.S. troops there.