Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela says he is ready to declare a state of emergency in the face of mounting U.S. military pressure. The warning from the authoritarian regime in Caracas comes as the United States escalates its military operations along the Venezuelan coast, killing a total of 17 people, culminating in four strikes on suspected drug runners in the South Caribbean.
On Monday, Maduro cited the threat of U.S. “aggression” as justification for the potential move that would allow Maduro to wield tremendous martial power over the local population, and temporarily suspend their most fundamental rights.
The Trump administration, nine months into its second term in the White House, has embarked on an expansive military deployment in the region in an effort to stymie the relentless flow of illicit narcotics being trafficked into the United States.
The U.S. State Department has asserted that one of its primary targets in its campaign is the Venezuelan-linked ‘Cartel of the Suns’, which the State Department claims is headed by members of the top brass of the Venezuelan Armed Forces.
On July 25, 2025, the State Department under Marco Rubio officially labeled the network as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist Organization. The declaration added the organization to a long list of other groups operating their criminal activities throughout Latin America.
According to sources who spoke to the AFP, Maduro had not officially signed the document that would grant himself “special powers”.
“Today the consultation process began … to declare a state of emergency in accordance with the constitution and protect our people, our peace, and our stability if Venezuela were attacked by the American empire, attacked militarily,” Nicolás Maduro said in a televised address in Caracas on Monday.
The remarks also come after reports suggest that the U.S. military is now considering options for targeting the drug cartels on the Venezuelan mainland.
President Trump re-emphasized this position, confirming that his administration is considering whether to strike the cartels “coming by land” in Venezuela. “Now we’ll look at cartels…We’re going to look seriously at cartels coming by land”.
“The aggression against Venezuela would be the beginning of a catastrophic war in the Caribbean”, warned Maduro.
The Venezuelan strongman also stated in a televised speech earlier this week that he had received numerous letters from neighboring Latin American nations, expressing their support for his stance against the North American “aggression”.
However, these claims are unconfirmed by the neighboring governments.
