Media: Trump eyes Venezuela oil, drug crackdown as military options expand

The largest US aircraft carrier is now positioned in the Caribbean as President Trump has approved additional measures to pressure Venezuela and prepare for a possible broader military campaign, according to multiple sources briefed on the matter.

Trump has signed off on C.I.A. plans for covert operations inside Venezuela, which could be designed to prepare a battlefield for future action, the sources said. At the same time, he has authorized a new round of back-channel negotiations, which at one point resulted in Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro offering to step down after a delay of a couple of years—a proposal the White House rejected, The New York Times reports.

It is not clear what the covert measures might entail or when they could be carried out. The president has not authorized combat forces on the ground, meaning the next phase of escalating pressure could involve sabotage, cyber, psychological, or information operations. Military and C.I.A. planners have prepared multiple contingency options.

Military planners have identified potential drug facilities and units near Maduro as possible targets. Trump held two meetings in the White House Situation Room last week to review options with senior advisers. Any C.I.A. action would likely precede military strikes. Both the White House and the agency declined to comment.

Despite authorizing secret operations, Trump has also engaged in back-channel talks with Maduro after briefly cutting off communication. In these discussions, Maduro has indicated willingness to offer American energy companies access to Venezuela’s oil reserves. “We may be having some discussions with Maduro, and we’ll see how that turns out,” Trump said.

While emphasizing Venezuela’s role in the drug trade publicly, the president has privately discussed the country’s oil wealth. Venezuelan officials have suggested a two- to three-year transition before Maduro steps down, which the White House considers unacceptable.

The US strategy, called “Operation Southern Spear,” represents the largest military buildup in the Caribbean since the Cuban Missile Crisis. The carrier Gerald R. Ford arrived this weekend, joining 15,000 troops, including Marines on amphibious ships and personnel in Puerto Rico. The State Department will designate Cartel de los Soles a terrorist organization on Nov. 24, broadening pressure on the Maduro government.

“I don’t rule out anything,” Trump said. “We just have to take care of Venezuela.” To date, the US has launched 21 strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats, killing at least 83 people, although military officials have acknowledged the boats were carrying cocaine, not fentanyl.

By Vafa Guliyeva