The US has stepped up pressure on Venezuela in recent months as part of a counter-narcotics effort aimed at drug trafficking.

A United States military action within Venezuela is imminent following President Donald Trump's comment on Saturday via his Truth Social handle. Advising

President Trump posted on social media that Venezuela's airspace should be considered as "closed in its entirety."

The Dominican Republic and Trinidad and Tobago are hosting U.S. forces and facilities. Grenada is considering it.

The United States continued its pressure campaign against Venezuela on Saturday as President Donald Trump issued a broad directive on social media, warning airlines, pilots and criminal networks to avoid Venezuelan airspace.

President Trump’s statements on social media less than 24 hours apart showed the dissonance in his campaign against drug trafficking.

The Trump administration has accused Maduro of heading the Cartel of the Suns, which it has now added to its terrorist designations list, describing is as a centrally coordinated criminal operation that supports Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel as well as Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang, both of which the US has also designated as terrorist groups.

WASHINGTON, Nov 22 (Reuters) - The United States is poised to launch a new phase of Venezuela-related operations in the coming days, four U.S. officials told Reuters, as the Trump administration escalates pressure on President Nicolas Maduro's government.

Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro rallied his supporters on Tuesday during a march in the country’s capital, Caracas.

Here is a timeline of the deteriorating relations between Venezuela and the US since Trump started his second term in January 2025 – and how Washington’s approach towards the South American nation since the late 1990s has led to this moment.