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The Venezuelan regime accused the U.S. this Sunday of wanting to take over the country's "vast oil reserves."
In a letter sent to the Secretary General of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and member countries (OPEC+), Maduro accused Trump of attempting to seize Venezuelan oil “through the use of lethal military force.”
"The world is well aware of the harmful consequences generated in other oil-producing countries as a result of military interventions by the United States of America and its allies," reads the letter addressed to Haitham Al Ghais.
"Venezuela will remain steadfast in the defense of its energy natural resources and will not succumb to any type of blackmail or threat," he adds.
Maduro requests assistance from OPEC member countries to stop an "aggression that is growing stronger and seriously threatening the balance of the international energy market."
Call with Trump
This Sunday, the president of the United States, Donald Trump, confirmed that he had a phone conversation with Maduro, amidst the highest tension between Washington and Caracas in years. The revelation occurred aboard Air Force One, during an informal exchange with journalists.
When directly asked if he spoke with Maduro, as revealed by The New York Times, Trump responded with a simple: “The answer is yes.” Then, when asked for details about the conversation, he refrained from qualifying it: “I wouldn’t say it was a good or bad call; it was just a call.”
Although he refused to elaborate on the details of the exchange, the president maintained his pressure message against Caracas. When asked why the White House considers the airspace over Venezuela closed, Trump stated, “Because we consider Venezuela a not very friendly country.”
He claimed, without presenting any evidence, that "millions" of Venezuelans have arrived in the United States coming from "prisons, gangs, and drug trafficking networks," and asserted that many of them "should not be in our country."
The secret call and the atmosphere of peak tension
The public confirmation of the contact comes after two investigations by The New York Times and Infobae revealed that Trump and Maduro spoke over the past weekend.
While the first version indicated that both discussed the possibility of a meeting on U.S. territory, the expanded report from Infobae states that the White House firmly denied any intention of a meeting.
According to that source, Trump reportedly issued an ultimatum: Maduro and his closest circle must leave Caracas, a demand that would include Diosdado Cabello, Vladimir Padrino López, and the Rodríguez brothers, Delcy and Jorge.
Hours after the call, Washington designated the so-called Cartel de los Soles as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), allowing for the expansion of military and financial operations against the Chavista leadership.
"Don't read anything," but the military pressure continues
During a conversation with journalists, Trump urged not to "read too much" into whether there might be an imminent attack on Venezuela. However, his words contrast with the tense atmosphere in the region.
Since September, the United States has carried out dozens of airstrikes against vessels in the Caribbean, and the president himself indicated that operations could soon expand to land targets.
"The ground is easier," he said recently, reinforcing that no option is off the table.
Sources cited by Reuters also claim that the CIA has intensified covert operations to prepare “political transition options,” while the Pentagon maintains a naval blockade off the coast of Venezuela.
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