Overview
- President Nicolás Maduro ordered the immediate suspension of the energy accord’s gas provisions with Trinidad and Tobago after the US destroyer USS Gravely arrived in Port of Spain for joint exercises scheduled through October 30.
- Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar rejected what she called Venezuelan “blackmail” and said her country will not step back from counter‑narcotics cooperation.
- Venezuelan officials say they dismantled a CIA‑financed criminal cell that planned a false‑flag attack on the USS Gravely to incriminate Caracas, with at least four suspects arrested and notice given to Trinidadian authorities.
- The United States has increased its regional deployments, with seven warships in the Caribbean, one in the Gulf of Mexico, and new B‑1B bomber flights following earlier B‑52 overflights, presented by Washington as part of anti‑drug operations.
- AFP reports Washington has claimed ten airstrikes on boats since early September causing at least 43 deaths based on US figures, while experts question the legal basis and US authorities have not provided proof linking the targeted vessels to narcotrafficking.