As Washington escalates pressure on Venezuela, any push for regime change risks becoming a costly, dangerous gamble — not the quick fix President Trump might hope for.

The U.S. is considering dropping leaflets on Caracas as a kind of psychological warfare to pressure Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, multiple U.S. officials familiar with the talks told CBS News.

The U.S. declared an alleged cartel in Venezuela a terrorist organization, the latest action targeting the country and the Maduro government.

Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned what he called the United States’ “bullying approach” toward Venezuela, issuing the remarks as President Donald Trump expands military operations across the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.

The Trump's administration has ramped up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by designating the Cartel de los Soles as a foreign terrorist organization.

Venezuela on Monday rejected the US terrorist designation of an alleged drug cartel on its territory as a "ridiculous lie" aimed at paving the way for an "illegitimate" United States (US) military intervention.

Any U.S. war in Venezuela would be slow, costly, and strategically self-defeating. Caracas’s escalation over Guyana, tight ties to Russia, China, and Iran, and entrenched criminal networks might someday trigger intervention—but air dominance and quick strikes would only be the opening act.

The suspension of international flights to Caracas due to the risks of flying over Venezuelan territory has raised tensions in the region