For a smartphone user on the ground in Caracas, this interference might just mean a slow map load. For an aircraft cruising at 30,000 feet, the implications are far more severe.

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.

The revelation of the phone call comes as Trump continues to use bellicose rhetoric toward Venezuela, while also entertaining the possibility of diplomacy.

A key move was Washington's formal designation of the Cartel de los Soles, a network it alleges is deeply tied to top Venezuelan officials, as a terrorist organization, which came into effect on Monday. Venezuela called the label a "ridiculous scheme" intended to justify an unlawful intervention in Venezuela.

Trump declares airspace above and surrounding Venezuela to be closed in its entirety amid anti-drug operations

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.

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.

The United States on Monday formally designated Cartel de los Soles a foreign terrorist organization, layering additional terrorism-related sanctions on the group it has said includes Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and other high-ranking officials.