Timeline: 26 years of fraught US-Venezuela relations

Tense relationships betwixt Venezuela and the United States person been exacerbated aft reports of imaginable US subject enactment successful the Latin American nation.

On Monday, the US designated Venezuela’s “Cartel de los Soles” a overseas “terrorist” organisation, which it claims is led by President Nicolas Maduro. Washington has not provided immoderate impervious for its claims. Cartel de los Soles is really a word Venezuelans usage to notation to officials engaged successful corruption, ands is not an organised cartel.

Several airlines person cancelled flights to Venezuela pursuing a informing from the US Federal Aviation Administration astir a “potentially hazardous situation” successful Venezuelan airspace.

The advisory came aft months of subject buildup successful the Caribbean Sea arsenic portion of what the US said were efforts to antagonistic narcotics. Meanwhile, the apical US subject officer, Dan Caine, has been visiting the Caribbean region.

Last month, US President Donald Trump said helium had authorised the CIA spy bureau to transportation retired concealed operations successful Venezuela, bringing into the spotlight the past of US involution successful Latin America.

A onslaught connected Venezuelan territory would represent a large escalation of the months-long US cognition successful the region, which has seen much than 80 radical killed successful a bid of strikes connected boats accused of trafficking drugs.

President Maduro has denounced the US actions. On Monday, the Venezuelan authorities dubbed the “terror” designation of the alleged cause cartel arsenic a “ridiculous lie” aimed astatine justifying “an illegitimate and amerciable involution against Venezuela”.

Since Trump returned to the White House successful January 2025, helium has escalated attacks connected Venezuela, reversing his predecessor Joe Biden’s argumentation of engaging with Maduro.

But the roots of distrust and hostility betwixt Washington and Caracas spell backmost a 4th of a century, pursuing leftist erstwhile President Hugo Chavez’s ascension to powerfulness successful 1999. Maduro took implicit arsenic president pursuing Chavez’s decease successful 2013.

Here is simply a timeline of the deteriorating relations betwixt Venezuela and the US since Trump started his 2nd word successful January 2025 – and however Washington’s attack towards the South American federation since the precocious 1990s has led to this moment.

• January 10, 2025 – Maduro is sworn successful for a 3rd word aft disputed elections. The US rejects the outcome, reiterating allegations of predetermination fraud.
• January, 2025 – Trump returns to powerfulness successful the US, and revokes the temporary protected presumption (TPS) that had shielded astir 600,000 Venezuelans surviving successful the United States from deportation.
• February 20, 2025: The Trump medication designates Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua pack arsenic a “foreign violent organisation”. Trump would spell connected to assertion that Tren de Aragua is simply a beforehand for Maduro, adjacent though US quality agencies person themselves said that they person nary grounds of immoderate nexus betwixt the radical and the Venezuelan leadership.
• February 21, 2025 – Venezuela agrees connected coordinating with Washington implicit Trump’s wide deportation push; the archetypal batch of migrants scope Venezuela.
• February 26, 2025 – Trump nixes Venezuelan oil concessions granted by predecessor Joe Biden.
• March 24, 2025 – Trump imposes 25-percent tariffs on countries that bargain lipid from Venezuela.
• August 8, 2025 – US doubles reward for arrest of Venezuela’s President Maduro to $50m, ​​ designating him the “global violent leader” of the Cartel de los Soles.
• September-November 2025 – Washington launches a maritime “anti-narcotics” run successful the Caribbean and Pacific connected September 2. At slightest 21 attacks connected alleged “drug boats” person killed much than 83 people.
• October 15, 2025 -Trump confirmed that helium has authorised the CIA to transportation retired concealed operations successful Venezuela.
• October 28, 2025 – Venezuela suspends a state accord with Trinidad and Tobago implicit a sojourn by a US warship.
• November 12, 2025 –  Venezuela launches nationwide subject drills.
• November 14, 2025 – US announces “Southern Spear” mission arsenic forces deploy adjacent South America.
• November 14-16, 2025 – US deploys the world’s largest craft bearer USS Gerald R Ford, warships, thousands of troops, and F-35 stealth jets to the Caribbean.
• November 22, 2025 – The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issues a Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) informing airlines of hazards successful Venezuelan airspace owed to “heightened subject activity”, including GPS interference. Airlines suspend flights to Venezuela.

Before the emergence of socialist President Chavez, Caracas and Washington mostly maintained adjacent economical ties. US companies invested successful the lipid assemblage successful the aboriginal 20th century, and, by the 1920s, the US became the biggest marketplace for Venezuela’s lipid exports.

But Chavez’s nationalisation of the lipid manufacture and vocal stance against US imperial interests successful Latin America soured the ties. In 2007, Chavez pushed retired US lipid giants ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips, arsenic portion of his efforts to marque the authorities lipid institution summation a bulk involvement successful each caller lipid projects. Chevron, different US lipid major, however, continues to operate.

Here’s a snapshot of Venezuela-US ties implicit the past 25 years:

1999 – Chavez takes office

Campaigning connected an anti-establishment, anti-US platform, Hugo Chavez is elected president and launches the alleged Bolivarian Revolution. His aboriginal moves to rewrite the constitution and aboriginal to nationalise the lipid assemblage acceptable Venezuela and the US connected a collision course.

2000s – Escalation and hostility

US-Venezuela ties deteriorate arsenic Chavez strengthens ties with Russia, China and Iran.

Venezuela expels US-backed NGOs and diplomats, and accuses Washington of destabilisation efforts. The US criticises Venezuela implicit authoritarianism and restrictions connected the media.

Domestically, Chavez’s authorities expands societal programmes, funded by precocious lipid prices, but economical mismanagement and corruption statesman to undermine growth.

2002 – The coup attempt

A short-lived coup removes Chavez for 48 hours. Venezuela accuses the US of supporting the crippled – a complaint Washington denies. This lawsuit lays the instauration for 2 decades of distrust.

2013 – Maduro’s rise

Following the decease of Hugo Chavez, Maduro — his long-time lawman — narrowly wins the presidency successful elections. His tenure is instantly marked by economical decline, corruption scandals and worsening relations with the US.

2014 – 2015 – First large US sanctions

Amid increasing protests and allegations of quality rights abuses, the US imposes visa restrictions and sanctions connected Venezuelan officials.

This is simply a turning point: Sanctions exacerbate the economical crisis, and Venezuela begins to acquisition terrible shortages of nutrient and medicine. Inflation skyrockets, and migration retired of the state surges.

2017-2019 – Economic crisis

​​The US blocks Venezuela’s entree to its fiscal markets and bans the acquisition of Venezuelan debt. Sanctions connected lipid imports intensify arsenic Venezuela’s system collapses nether hyperinflation and years of mismanagement. In 2019, inflation peaks astatine 345 percent. In April 2025, it stands astatine 172 percent.

2018 – Maduro’s disputed re-election

Maduro’s arguable 2018 re-election leads to a governmental crisis. Key absorption candidates were barred from running, prompting a boycott of the elections by astir of the opposition.

Opposition fig Juan Guaido declares himself interim president, winning designation from the US and dozens of allies. Washington expands sweeping sanctions connected Venezuela’s oil, gold, mining and banking sectors.

2024 — A rerun of 2018

Six years later, Maduro again won a disputed election, against autarkic absorption campaigner Edmundo Gonzalez. The absorption showed ballot tallies from respective booths that appeared to suggest a comfy triumph for Gonzales, disputing the effect announced by predetermination authorities successful Maduro’s favour. The United Nations criticised the behaviour of the election.

The past US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that determination was “overwhelming evidence” that Gonzalez had won. Several leftist Latin American governments, including, Brazil, Mexico, Chile and Colombia besides questioned the authoritative results and called for a recount.