Lucrezia Ciotti Relations between the United States and Venezuela have reached a breaking point, marked by an unprecedented escalation. The Trump administration has authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations in the South American country, while Nicolás Maduro's government has responded by denouncing violations of international law and taking the issue to the UN. In the background, issues of drug trafficking, migration, and control of oil resources are intertwined, creating a climate of high military and diplomatic tension in the Caribbean region.
Growing tensions between the United States and Venezuela
The government in Caracas has strongly condemned the US moves, calling them a violation of international law and announcing that the issue will be raised with the UN Security Council.
Maduro denounced the use of drug trafficking as a pretext for a possible regime change aimed at controlling the country's oil resources, recalling CIA-sponsored coups in Latin America, such as the 1973 Chilean coup.
In response, Venezuela intensified military exercises along the border with Colombia and mobilized reservists, activating its comprehensive defense forces to protect strategic cities and neighborhoods.
Internationally, Colombia has expressed concern about the risk of an invasion and criticized US operations, while the Venezuelan opposition, also supported by 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado, has welcomed the increased American pressure.
Internally, Maduro has consolidated control over the government and the armed forces, repressing dissidents and holding disputed elections , despite economic sanctions and a context of social crisis.
US and Venezuela on edge: Trump mobilizes the CIA, Maduro files a complaint to the UN
The U.S. administration has stepped up pressure on Nicolás Maduro's government, authorizing the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela. According to the New York Times, Washington's primary goal is to weaken the Caracas regime , with the intelligence agency tasked with lethal operations and targeted interventions in the Caribbean region.
Since 2019, the United States has supported a parallel government led by Juan Guaidó and has offered million-dollar rewards for information leading to the arrest of Maduro, accused of drug trafficking . The decision was motivated by the increase in Venezuelan migration to the United States and the inadequacy of maritime measures already in place to combat drug trafficking, pushing
the administration to shift its attention to land routes as well.
Meanwhile, the deployment of eight warships and a nuclear submarine off the coast of Venezuela, along with raids on vessels suspected of transporting drugs, has caused at least 27 deaths and fueled an unprecedented military escalation.