U.S. Confrontation With Venezuela
In the early morning of January 3, 2026, the United States launched large-scale military strikes on Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, and surrounding areas, in an operation named “Absolute Resolve.” President Donald Trump announced that U.S. forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were transported to New York and arraigned on charges of narco-terrorism, cocaine importation conspiracy, and possession of machine guns. Maduro and his wife pleaded not guilty.
The operation, which involved Delta Force special operations troops and CIA intelligence support, marked a dramatic escalation of a monthslong pressure campaign that began in September 2025 with U.S. military strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean. Amid the regime crisis, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as Venezuela’s interim president, authorities declared a national state of emergency, and security forces began patrolling the streets of Caracas.
Trump claimed that the United States would “run” Venezuela, but the administration has offered conflicting statements on the future of U.S. involvement in the country. Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested that the United States would enforce an oil quarantine and maintain a military presence in the region to pressure remaining Chavista officials to comply with U.S. demands. Trump has also rejected the idea of backing the democratic opposition led by María Corina Machado.
In justifying the intervention, Trump said U.S. firms would develop Venezuela’s vast oil reserves and recoup allegedly stolen oil money. However, experts note that rebuilding Venezuela’s oil infrastructure will require a long-term investment of billions of dollars.
Background
Hugo Chávez came to power in 1998 and leveraged Venezuela’s immense oil reserves and rising crude prices to provide subsidized goods and services to the Venezuelan people, cutting the extreme poverty rate by 15 percent. However, years of economic mismanagement and corruption under Chávez transformed the capably managed state-owned PDVSA oil company into a dysfunctional, corrupt, and bloated institution run by military and political allies that lacked experienced technicians. Chávez also deepened Venezuela’s dependence on oil exports, with fuel as a percentage of total exports rising from around 71 percent in 1998 to nearly 98 percent in 2013. The collapse of global oil prices in 2014 led to a rapid economic decline.
Following Chávez’s death in 2013, then–Vice President Nicolás Maduro assumed the presidency and was subsequently elected to the office. His government attempted to address the economic crisis by printing money. This policy pushed the country into years-long hyperinflation, which was on pace to hit ten million percent in 2019 and led to a de facto two-currency system in which the U.S. dollar is dominant. By 2014, large-scale anti-government protests erupted across the country. In 2015, voters expressed dissatisfaction by electing the first opposition-controlled National Assembly in two decades, setting the stage for a standoff between the legislature and Maduro.
Maduro was reelected to a second six-year term in May 2018, despite boycotts and accusations of fraud in a widely condemned election. Two weeks after Maduro was sworn in, the National Assembly declared his election illegitimate, and opposition leader Juan Guaidó announced that he would assume the office of interim president until free and fair elections could be held, in accordance with the succession rules outlined in the 1999 constitution. Guaidó was quickly recognized as interim president by the United States, Canada, most of the European Union, and the Organization of American States. However, Maduro retained the support of several major countries, including China, Cuba, Russia, and Turkey.
The resulting political standoff saw an increase in U.S. sanctions against the Maduro government, including targeting oil shipments to Cuba—Maduro has increasingly relied on Cuban military and intelligence support to stay in power—as well as threats of sanctions on third parties linked to Venezuela’s oil sector. Venezuela’s allies and partners have undercut U.S. efforts to exert pressure on the country. Russia has continued to support the Maduro government, sending Russian troops to Venezuela in March 2019 and helping the government evade sanctions on the oil industry. China has continued to back the Maduro government, offering to help rebuild the national power grid.
Amid a humanitarian crisis, thousands fled the country daily by early 2019, mostly on foot. Exacerbating Venezuela’s economic woes, its poorly maintained infrastructure led to nationwide blackouts in March 2019, leaving millions without power. Moreover, because the government has been unable to provide social services, Venezuelans face severe food and medicine shortages and the continuing spread of infectious diseases. In April 2019, after years of denying the existence of a humanitarian crisis and refusing to allow foreign aid to enter the country—calling aid shipments a political ploy by the United States—Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro allowed the entry of a shipment of emergency supplies from the Red Cross. However, the U.S. State Department maintains deep concerns regarding Maduro’s human rights record, over which he is being investigated for crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court (ICC), and the employment of armed gangs, known as colectivos, to suppress opposition.
Since the crisis escalated in 2015, an estimated eight million Venezuelans have fled the country, with 85 percent resettling in other Latin American countries, including at least three million in Colombia alone. Armed groups operating across the porous Colombia-Venezuela border have further worsened security conditions for migrants. The exodus has also caused a regional humanitarian crisis as neighboring governments have struggled to absorb refugees and asylum seekers and failed to provide access to services.
Despite the increased pressure and sanctions of early 2019, Maduro managed to maintain and even solidify his grip on power. Maduro suddenly implemented economic reforms, including ending price controls, allowing dollar transactions, slashing bolivar currency circulation, initiating privatizations, and starting to publish economic indicators after a four-year hiatus. In September 2021, Venezuela announced the launch of a new currency, dropping six zeros from its bolivar notes. While these drastic shifts in economic policy left Venezuelans struggling to secure bolivars and adapt in the short term, hyperinflation slightly subsided. The bolivar stabilized in early 2022, with annualized inflation briefly falling below 50 percent, though more than 60 percent of transactions were carried out in dollars. Inflation began to rise again in late 2022, and by 2023, consumer prices were tripling annually, an improvement from hyperinflation but still one of the highest inflation rates in the world.
Politically, international support for interim president Guaidó weakened, with the Biden administration following the lead of the Venezuelan opposition in revoking recognition of Guaidó as Venezuela’s legitimate leader. Meanwhile, Maduro’s position somewhat recovered internationally. Western officials reopened dialogue, and he has benefited from the election of leaders who are more friendly to him in Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil.
After years of boycotts and challenges to maintaining unity, the opposition decided to contest the 2024 presidential election. Maria Corina Machado emerged as the most popular opposition figure, though the government barred her from holding public office. Edmundo González Urrutia became the opposition frontrunner. Maduro agreed to hold free and fair elections in 2024 in exchange for oil sanctions relief from the United States. But Maduro’s widespread electoral fraud, including blocking independent election observers and banning popular opposition candidates, led the United States to reimpose sanctions.
Despite strong evidence—including more than 80 percent of polling-station tally sheets collected independently by the opposition—indicating that opposition candidate Edmundo González won by a wide margin, the government-controlled National Electoral Council declared Nicolás Maduro the winner in a contested result. The United States, Canada, the European Union, and other countries and international bodies condemned the vote as neither free nor fair, with several recognizing González as president-elect. Meanwhile, Maduro proceeded with a third term, which the Supreme Court quickly certified.
Recent Developments
President Donald Trump has revived his “maximum pressure” campaign against Venezuela, accusing the country of trafficking vast amounts of cocaine into the United States. During Trump’s first term, his administration charged Maduro with leading the Cartel de los Soles (Cartel of the Suns), a loose criminal network tied to senior Venezuelan officials who have allegedly profited from drug trafficking and extortion. Since returning to office, the Trump administration has labeled both Cartel de los Soles and the Tren de Aragua gang as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs). In August 2025, Trump signed a secret directive authorizing the Pentagon to use military force against select Latin American drug cartels. He also doubled the U.S. bounty on Maduro to $50 million, alleging the Venezuelan leader’s direct role in smuggling operations. Shortly afterward, the United States deployed a fleet of naval warships carrying more than 4,500 sailors and Marines toward Venezuelan waters.
On September 2, Trump announced that U.S. forces struck what he claimed was a Tren de Aragua boat trafficking cocaine to the United States, killing eleven people. In a break from precedent, the mission was conducted without Coast Guard involvement and relied solely on the Navy. The legal basis for the strike remains contested, as law enforcement officers are only authorized to use lethal force against individuals posing an imminent threat during maritime interdictions. Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the action, arguing that drug seizures alone have failed to deter cartels.
Rodríguez Remains Acting President After Appointment Expires
Delcy Rodríguez surpassed the Venezuelan high court’s ninety-day cap on her acting presidency Monday—a role she assumed after the United States captured Nicolás Maduro in January—with no public legislative vote taken to extend her tenure; the Maduro-aligned National Assembly could either extend her term by another ninety days or declare the presidency permanently vacant and trigger a snap election (AP).
Sanctions Relief in Venezuela
The United States lifted sanctions on Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez that were imposed in 2018 when the United States accused her of undermining democracy in the country (Treasury). Trump praised Venezuela’s interim government in his speech, calling its leaders “joint-venture partners” of the United States (NYT).
U.S. Reopens Caracas Embassy After Seven-Year Closure
The U.S. State Department announced it is resuming operations at its Caracas embassy, calling it a key milestone in implementing Trump’s Venezuela policy following the U.S. military’s capture of President Nicolás Maduro in January; Ambassador Laura Dogu is leading efforts to restore the embassy building, return personnel, and resume consular services as Washington pursues its stated goal of restoring democracy and free elections in the country (Politico).
U.S. Eases Oil Sanctions Amid Iran War
The U.S. Department of the Treasury eased some sanctions on Venezuela, allowing for U.S. companies to conduct business with Venezuela’s state-owned oil firm, while the White House also announced a sixty day waiver of the Jones Act, temporarily allowing non-U.S.-flagged vessels to transport goods between domestic ports; the move reflects attempts to ease rising oil prices in the U.S. amid the ongoing war with Iran (AP). Separately, acting President Delcy Rodríguez removed Gen. Vladimir Padrino López, the country’s defense minister since 2014, from his post; he was a longtime loyalist of former President Nicolás Maduro (Reuters). Rodriguez named Gen. Gustavo González López as his replacement; González López has a background in military intelligence and was previously sanctioned by the United States for suppressing demonstrations (AP).
U.S. Seeks Extradition of Maduro Ally
The Trump administration is negotiating with the Venezuelan government to extradite Alex Saab, a close ally of deposed former President Nicolas Maduro, who has been indicted in a Miami court on charges of corruption (NYT). Saab was arrested in by the interim Venezuelan government in February after having once been jailed in the United States for money laundering and ultimately pardoned in 2023 by former U.S. President Joe Biden as part of a prisoner exchange with the Maduro regime (Miami Herald).
More Venezuelan Oil Headed to U.S.
According to U.S. President Donald Trump, 100 million new barrels of Venezuelan crude oil are being shipped to the United States after an initial 100 million arrived to Texas in recent days (Anadolu).
U.S., Venezuela Establish Diplomatic Ties
The United States and Venezuela’s interim government are re-establishing diplomatic and consular relations for the first time since 2019, according to the U.S. State Department; the restoration comes two months after the U.S. ouster of former President Nicolás Maduro (CBS).
U.S. Threatens to Indict Interim President Delcy Rodriguez
In an attempt to strengthen its leverage with Caracas, the Trump administration is reportedly building a legal case against Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodríguez; the draft criminal indictment created by federal prosecutors, who have communicated to Rodríguez that she is at risk of facing prosecution unless she continues to comply with President Trump’s demands, includes possible corruption and money laundering charges (Reuters).
Venezuela’s Machado plans return
Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado announced she plans to return to the country in a few weeks; she spent almost a year in hiding in Venezuela before traveling to Oslo in December to accept the Nobel Peace Prize (Politico). She has since met with Trump at the White House and is currently in the United States (Reuters).
U.S. Military Kills Eleven People in Strikes
The strikes on alleged drug trafficking boats in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea were the deadliest day of such strikes this year, and brought the total number of people killed in U.S. boat strikes since September to at least 144 (CNN). The strikes also marked the first time U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) bombed alleged drug boats on both sides of the Panama Canal on the same day; two strikes were in the Eastern Pacific and one in the Caribbean (NYT). The Trump administration says the strikes are part of its campaign against illegal drug trafficking and claimed it had intelligence confirming the victims were part of drug networks, but did not make that evidence or the men’s identities public (SOUTHCOM).
U.S. Energy Chief in Venezuela
Energy Secretary Chris Wright became the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit Venezuela since the United States captured former President Nicolás Maduro last month (WSJ). He praised a law proposed by Venezuela’s interim government that would open the country’s oil sector to private investment, but said it should go farther to encourage “large capital flows” (AP). Meanwhile, the son of opposition leader Juan Pablo Guanipa confirmed that he was placed under house arrest after he was freed from jail and recaptured (Reuters).
Top Prosecutor Orders Arrest of Juan Pablo Guanipa
The office of Venezuela’s top prosecutor requested the arrest of Juan Pablo Guanipa, a close ally of opposition leader María Corina Machado, less than twelve hours after his release from a detention facility; the office posted on social media that the request was made due to Guanipa’s “non-compliance with the conditions imposed by the aforementioned court” (AP). Meanwhile, U.S. forces boarded and inspected a tanker in the Indian Ocean that was allegedly violating sanctions on Venezuelan oil, the Department of Defense announced (Pentagon). The department said that it had been tracking the tanker—which was sailing under the Panamanian flag—since it departed the Caribbean; the Pentagon said the incident showed it remained committed to sanctions of Venezuela’s oil sector (AP).
Key Opposition Members Freed in Prisoner Releases
Opposition politicians Juan Pablo Guanipa and Freddy Superlano were freed from jail, along with lawyer Perkins Rocha, in ongoing prisoner releases; Guanipa, Superlano, and Rocha are allies of opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado, who was detained in August 2024 on terrorism charges (Reuters).
Venezuela Advances Amnesty Law for Protesters
Venezuela’s National Assembly unanimously approved the first of two votes on an amnesty law that would free jailed protesters, return seized assets, and allow exiled opposition figures to return (Reuters).
Delcy Rodríguez Meets U.S. Envoy
Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodríguez met with U.S. envoy Laura Dogu at the Miraflores presidential palace to discuss the “common agenda” between both nations (Reuters). Meanwhile, Colombian President Gustavo Petro met with President Donald Trump at the White House, where they discussed the possibility of exporting Venezuelan gas through Colombia, Petro told a local radio station (Reuters).
Venezuela Ups Oil Exports
Interim president Delcy Rodriguez announced the first shipment of liquified petroleum gas has left Venezuela and is bound for Providence, Rhode Island (ABC). The country exported around eight hundred thousand barrels of oil per day last month, a roughly 60 percent increase from December (Reuters). The surge comes after the United States captured President Nicolás Maduro at the start of January, rolled back a December embargo on Venezuelan oil, and began marketing some of the country’s oil in coordination with the country’s interim authorities (Bloomberg).
Venezuelan Acting President Announces Amnesty Bill
Interim President Delcy Rodríguez announced an amnesty bill that could lead to the release of hundreds of prisoners detained for political reasons; U.S.-backed opposition groups have advocated for a bill of this kind (AP).
Rubio Gives Senate Testimony on Venezuela Policy
Rubio laid out U.S. plans to closely supervise part of Venezuela’s economy and oversee a gradual political transition in the country in Senate testimony; it constituted some of the most detailed public accounting of U.S. strategy in the country since its military operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro earlier this month (The Hill). Rubio downplayed the possibility of further U.S. military action given the high level of cooperation from interim authorities (Reuters). While Washington hopes to see free elections in Venezuela in the future, he said, a democratic transition would “take some time” (State). The United States continues to exert influence over Venezuela’s oil resources through a naval quarantine and is beginning to market the country’s oil for international sale; in the short term, authorities led by interim President Delcy Rodríguez will submit a monthly budget to Washington outlining how they intend to spend proceeds from the U.S.-directed sales, Rubio testified (NYT). Rubio met separately with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado later in the day; Machado said Venezuelans should be assured that change is on the way (Miami Herald).
Venezuela Prisoner Releases
The government released more than one hundred political prisoners over the weekend, rights group Foro Penal said (X). While Venezuela’s interim authorities vowed earlier this month that a “significant” number of detainees would be released following Maduro’s arrest, they have not published a total list; rights groups say hundreds remain detained in the country (AP).
New U.S. Envoy to Venezuela
Laura Dogu, a former advisor to the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a career diplomat, will be the new top U.S. envoy to the country, the U.S. Embassy in Venezuela announced; she will be based in Bogotá, Colombia (U.S. Embassy in Venezuela). Dogu has also served as U.S. ambassador in Honduras and Nicaragua (The Hill).
Colombia Targets Guerillas on Venezuelan Border
Colombian President Gustavo Petro told the New York Times that he rejected an offer this week to cut a deal with a guerilla and drug trafficking group based near the Venezuelan border, and instead ordered a military offensive against them (NYT). The move reverses Petro’s yearslong efforts to strike a peace deal with the group (CFR). Petro and Trump spoke on the phone last week after Trump threatened to bomb Colombia for allegedly harboring drug traffickers (NYT).