(MENAFN) According to reports, the UN expressed “grave concern” on Tuesday over the escalating tensions between the US and Venezuela in the southern Caribbean. UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric noted that the organization is closely monitoring the situation.

When asked about Washington’s recent decision to classify a Venezuelan group as a terrorist organization and associate it with President Nicolas Maduro, Dujarric said the UN does not comment on that “unilateral decision by the United States.”

The US formally designated the Venezuela-linked Cartel de los Soles as a foreign terrorist organization on Monday, while Venezuelan authorities dismissed the move as “ridiculous” and claimed the cartel is “nonexistent.”

Dujarric stressed that the UN is worried about the “increasingly confrontational rhetoric which risks heightening regional unease.” He underscored that all member states must “fully comply in their obligations under international law.”

He added that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres continues to encourage governments to create space for dialogue and maintain efforts “to find a peaceful way forward.”

Relations between the US and Venezuela have deteriorated sharply since August, when President Donald Trump ordered a military buildup in the Caribbean aimed at targeting drug cartels and disrupting trafficking routes said to be linked to Maduro’s government.

Reports indicate that the US has expanded its military footprint across Latin America for months, deploying Marines, naval vessels, aircraft, submarines and drones, fueling speculation that Washington might carry out strikes in Venezuela—though Trump has reportedly told advisers he intends to speak with Maduro.

Maduro, for his part, has stated that Venezuela is prepared for a “face-to-face” dialogue with the US.

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