(MENAFN) US President Donald Trump has instructed American diplomats to cease engagement with Caracas, raising the prospect of “potential military escalation” or moves to remove Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, according to reports citing unnamed sources. Tensions between the two nations have escalated amid US allegations of Maduro’s links to drug cartels.

Trump reportedly conveyed the directive to his special presidential envoy Richard Grenell, who had been leading negotiations with Maduro’s government, during a meeting with senior military officials last week. Sources said the president grew frustrated that Maduro would not voluntarily step down and that Venezuelan officials continued to deny involvement in drug trafficking.

Officials described several military options under consideration, including measures aimed at forcing Maduro from power.

Before diplomatic channels were cut, Grenell had been attempting to broker a deal that might avert broader conflict and allow US companies access to Venezuelan oil. However, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly considered these efforts “unhelpful and creating confusion.”

In recent weeks, the US has claimed to have destroyed multiple alleged “drug boats” off Venezuela’s coast, resulting in the deaths of more than a dozen people. US authorities assert that Maduro maintains close ties with drug cartels and have described him as “effectively a kingpin of a drug narco state,” refusing to recognize his legitimacy as president. Publicly, Trump has denied that regime change in Venezuela is a goal.

Maduro has strongly rejected the accusations and framed US actions as attempts to topple him. He warned that Venezuela would enter a state of “armed struggle” if attacked, and Caracas has reportedly increased its military readiness in response to the heightened US presence in the region.

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