MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

US labels Maduro a terrorist as Venezuela slams ‘fabricated pretext’ for intervention

Four senior US officials said the operation’s “second phase” — including covert missions and possible ground actions — could begin within days

The United States escalated its confrontation with Caracas on Monday, officially designating Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and senior members of his government as part of an international terrorist organization. The move places the so-called Cartel of the Suns on the US State Department’s list of foreign terrorist groups — alongside Al-Qaeda and ISIS — and provides “new tools” for Washington’s expanding military campaign in the Caribbean.

“The Cartel of the Suns is led by Nicolás Maduro and other senior figures of his illegitimate regime who have corrupted Venezuela’s armed forces, intelligence services, and judiciary,” the State Department said in a statement. The designation allows for additional sanctions and, while it does not directly authorize the use of force, senior officials acknowledged it could serve as a legal pathway for possible military actions.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the move “gives our Department more tools to provide the president with options,” while Donald Trump noted that it could enable strikes on “infrastructure and assets” belonging to Maduro’s government. Trump, who has deployed more than 15,000 troops and the aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford to the Caribbean under Operation Southern Spear, claimed Venezuela “is feeling the pressure.”

According to Reuters, four senior US officials said the operation’s “second phase” — including covert missions and possible ground actions — could begin within days. So far, US strikes on alleged “narco-boats” have killed at least 83 people since September.

Venezuela’s response was swift. The Foreign Ministry dismissed Washington’s decision as a “ridiculous fabrication” and denounced the terrorist label as a pretext to justify an invasion “under the classic US regime-change formula.”

“The Trump administration is fabricating excuses for military aggression,” the statement read, accusing Washington of “attacking Venezuela’s sovereignty with lies.”

Caracas added that the country remains “united and at peace” in the face of external threats, as Maduro led a student rally in Caracas. “This new maneuver will suffer the same fate as previous aggressions against our nation: failure,” the government declared.

Analysts say labeling Maduro a terrorist marks the sharpest escalation in US-Venezuela tensions since diplomatic ties were severed in 2019. Washington continues to offer a US$50 million bounty for his capture and has urged international partners to isolate the Venezuelan regime further.