Washington is moving an aircraft carrier strike group to the Caribbean Sea. (US Navy)
Caracas, October 27, 2025 (venezuelanalysis.com) – The Nicolás Maduro government denounced a potential “false flag” operation by the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Trinidad and Tobago that sought to justify US military aggression against Venezuela.
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil stated Monday that the operation would consist of an attack against a US ship stationed in Trinidad and pinning the blame on Caracas.
“It is the same imperial script of the USS Maine and the Gulf of Tonkin: fabricating a conflict to impose foreign interests in our region,” Gil wrote on social media, referring to alleged attacks that preceded the Spanish-American War of 1898 and the 1964 incident that led to a US military escalation against Vietnam.
The Venezuelan official added that authorities are currently “dismantling a CIA-financed criminal cell” with ties to the alleged false flag plot.
“Venezuela will not fall for provocations, but we will defend our sovereignty without hesitation,” Gil added, urging Trinidad Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar to “take responsibility” and stand on the side of peace. Venezuelan Vice President and Hydrocarbon Minister Delcy Rodríguez announced Monday she was seeking the suspension of energy cooperation with Port of Spain, including joint offshore natural gas projects.
The Persad-Bissessar government has taken a hardline position toward Venezuela and expressed its support for the US bombing campaign that recently claimed the lives of two Trinidadians.
Caracas’ warnings came amidst a large-scale US naval deployment and threats, and followed the arrival of the USS Gravely in Port of Spain on Sunday. The US missile destroyer will reportedly engage in military exercises with local Trinidad forces that Venezuela labeled “a provocation.”
Since August, the Trump administration has deployed warships, a nuclear-powered submarine and an estimated 4,500 troops in the Southern Caribbean Sea in a self-declared anti-narcotics mission. Additional assets such as helicopters and spy drones have also been operating in the region, while US warplanes have made several incursions into Venezuelan airspace.
In recent weeks, US forces have struck at least 10 vessels they alleged were carrying US-bound drugs. Eight strikes took place in the Caribbean and two in the Eastern Pacific. A total of 43 civilians have been reportedly killed.
On Friday, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced an escalation of Washington’s military buildup near Venezuela with the deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford strike group to the US Southern Command’s area of responsibility.
“These forces will enhance and augment existing capabilities to disrupt narcotics trafficking and degrade and dismantle transnational crime organizations (TCO),” the statement read.
The USS Gerald R. Ford is the US’ most advanced aircraft carrier, with a capacity for up to 90 warplanes and helicopters alongside 4,600 troops. The ship’s naval strike group includes several destroyers, though it is presently unclear if all will be deployed. The USS Gerald R. Ford was recently stationed in the Mediterranean and is expected to arrive in the Caribbean within two weeks.
The scale of Washington’s military buildup has led analysts and political leaders to denounce that the White House’s ultimate goal is to trigger regime change and seize Venezuela’s vast natural resources.
The White House has not provided court-tested evidence to sustain its “narcoterrorism” accusations against Venezuelan officials, while reports from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) have determined that Venezuela plays a marginal role in global drug trafficking.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly stated that military forces will soon begin striking alleged drug targets on land, particularly inside Venezuelan territory. He has likewise authorized the CIA to conduct lethal covert operations in Venezuela.
Anonymous White House officials told CNN that the president is considering attacks against unspecified “cocaine facilities and drug trafficking routes” but that he has not ruled out a diplomatic approach, despite the fact that Trump reportedly ordered Special Envoy Richard Grenell to suspend communications with the Maduro government in early October.
On Sunday, US Senator Lindsey Graham said that Trump would brief members of Congress about “future potential military operations against Venezuela and Colombia” and expanding strikes from sea to land.
Washington’s military operations in the Caribbean have drawn opposition from political figures and UN legal experts who described the boat strikes as extrajudicial executions. A War Powers resolution that aimed to curtail further bombings was narrowly defeated in the Senate on October 8.
Caracas has condemned the US’ military buildup and threats, organizing large-scale defense exercises and calling for an international response. Venezuela has been backed by allies including Russia and China, but a recent emergency UN Security Council meeting produced no resolutions.
Latin American and Caribbean leaders have likewise opposed the Trump administration’s threats and escalation. A group of parliamentarians issued a call to defend “sovereignty and lasting peace” in the region.
Edited by José Luis Granados Ceja in Mexico City, Mexico.
