This cannot be classified as anything other than homicide
En las aguas del Caribe y los salones del poder petrolero mundial, Venezuela ha elevado una acusación que entrelaza soberanía, sangre y crudo: el gobierno de Maduro sostiene que Washington, bajo el manto de la lucha antidrogas, persigue en realidad el control de las mayores reservas probadas de petróleo del planeta. Al llevar su queja ante la OPEP+ en una conferencia presidida por Arabia Saudita y Rusia, Caracas no busca solo audiencia, sino convertir un conflicto bilateral en una advertencia dirigida a todas las naciones cuya riqueza natural las hace vulnerables a la ambición ajena.
- Venezuela cifra en al menos 83 muertos —incluyendo civiles venezolanos— el costo humano de lo que describe como 21 ataques militares estadounidenses en aguas internacionales del Caribe desde el 2 de septiembre.
- El presidente de la Asamblea Nacional, Jorge Rodríguez, rechazó el eufemismo de 'operaciones antinarcóticos' y llamó a las muertes por su nombre: homicidios, crímenes extrajudiciales cometidos sin guerra declarada ni debido proceso.
- Delcy Rodríguez presentó ante los ministros de la OPEP+ una carta firmada por Maduro que enmarca la agresión militar no como un asunto venezolano, sino como una amenaza directa a la estabilidad de los mercados energéticos globales.
- Caracas anunció la creación de una comisión especial para investigar las muertes, transformando deliberadamente el relato geopolítico en una causa penal con víctimas identificadas y familias que testifican.
- Washington no ha respondido a estas acusaciones específicas, y persiste la brecha narrativa central: lo que Estados Unidos llama interdicción de drogas, Venezuela lo llama asalto armado a su soberanía y sus recursos.
Venezuela llevó esta semana sus acusaciones al corazón del poder petrolero mundial, denunciando ante una conferencia ministerial de la OPEP+ —presidida por Arabia Saudita y Rusia— que Estados Unidos utiliza operaciones militares en el Caribe para apoderarse de sus reservas de petróleo, las mayores del planeta, bajo el pretexto de combatir el narcotráfico.
Delcy Rodríguez, vicepresidenta del gobierno de Maduro, entregó a los ministros reunidos una carta firmada por el propio presidente. El mensaje era inequívoco: Washington estaría empleando fuerza letal contra el territorio, la población y las instituciones venezolanas con el objetivo real de controlar su riqueza petrolera. La carta advirtió que esta campaña amenazaba no solo la producción venezolana, sino la estabilidad de los mercados energéticos internacionales, e instó a los miembros de la OPEP+ a frenar lo que Caracas califica de agresión en escalada.
Las acusaciones adquirieron mayor gravedad cuando Jorge Rodríguez, presidente de la Asamblea Nacional, empleó la palabra homicidio para describir los ataques estadounidenses contra embarcaciones sospechosas en aguas caribeñas. Sin una guerra declarada, argumentó, esas operaciones constituyen ejecuciones extrajudiciales. Afirmó haber recibido a familias de las víctimas y denunció que ciudadanos venezolanos inocentes figuran entre los muertos desde el 2 de septiembre. El gobierno contabiliza aproximadamente 21 ataques en aguas internacionales y al menos 83 fallecidos.
La elección del foro no es casual. Al apelar a los países exportadores de petróleo, Maduro intenta transformar lo que podría leerse como un conflicto bilateral en una amenaza colectiva para las naciones ricas en recursos naturales. Sin embargo, queda por ver si los miembros de la OPEP+ tratarán la denuncia como un asunto geopolítico serio o como retórica de un gobierno ampliamente aislado. Estados Unidos no ha respondido a estas acusaciones concretas, y la distancia entre ambas narrativas —interdicción antidrogas frente a agresión imperial— permanece tan profunda como irresuelta.
Venezuela brought its grievances to the world's most powerful oil cartel this week, accusing the United States of using military force to seize control of the country's vast petroleum reserves under the cover of a drug-fighting campaign. The complaint, delivered Sunday at an OPEP+ ministerial conference led by Saudi Arabia and Russia, represents an escalation in rhetoric from Nicolás Maduro's government, which has long viewed American policy in the region with suspicion and hostility.
Delcy Rodríguez, the vice president and a senior figure in the Maduro administration, presented a letter signed by Maduro himself to the assembled oil ministers. The message was direct: the United States, it claimed, was attempting to seize Venezuela's oil—the largest proven reserves on the planet—through lethal military force against the nation's territory, people, and institutions. The letter argued that this campaign, framed by Washington as an anti-narcotics operation, threatened not only Venezuela's oil production but the stability of global energy markets. Maduro's government called on OPEP+ members to help stop what it characterized as an escalating aggression that endangered the international balance of energy supply.
The complaint gained sharper teeth when Jorge Rodríguez, the president of Venezuela's National Assembly, went further and used the word homicide. Speaking about American military strikes against suspected drug boats in Caribbean waters, Rodríguez said the attacks could not be classified as anything other than murder. He emphasized that without a declared war, these operations amounted to unlawful killing. Every person, he argued, deserves due process and protection from extrajudicial execution. Rodríguez claimed to have met with families of the deceased and asserted that Venezuelan citizens—innocent ones—had been killed in these operations, which he dated to September 2.
According to Venezuelan officials, the tally has grown substantial. They cite approximately 21 separate attacks in international waters off the Caribbean coast, resulting in at least 83 deaths. Rodríguez announced the formation of a special commission to investigate what his government calls grave crimes—the homicides of Venezuelans in the Caribbean resulting from Washington's military incursions. The framing is deliberate: by calling the deaths homicides rather than casualties of military operations, Venezuelan officials are attempting to recast the narrative from a geopolitical dispute into a criminal matter.
The move to bring the complaint before OPEP+ is strategic. Venezuela is an oil producer, though its output has declined sharply in recent years due to sanctions, mismanagement, and infrastructure decay. By appealing to fellow oil-exporting nations, Maduro's government is attempting to frame American military activity not as an internal Venezuelan matter but as a threat to the global energy system and the sovereignty of resource-rich nations. The letter warned that instability in Venezuelan oil production could ripple through international markets, a concern that might resonate with countries dependent on stable energy supplies.
What remains unclear is whether OPEP+ members will treat the complaint as a serious geopolitical issue or as rhetoric from a government already isolated by much of the international community. The United States has not formally responded to these specific accusations, though American officials have previously characterized their Caribbean operations as part of a broader counter-narcotics effort. The gap between how each side describes these military encounters—as drug interdiction versus as an assault on a nation's sovereignty and resources—sits at the heart of a dispute that shows no signs of resolution.
Notable Quotes
Venezuela formally denounces before OPEP+ that the United States government intends to seize Venezuela's vast oil reserves, the largest on the planet, through the use of lethal military force— Nicolás Maduro, in letter presented by Vice President Delcy Rodríguez
Without a declared war, this cannot be classified as anything other than homicide. Every human being has the right to due process; no human being can be brutally murdered— Jorge Rodríguez, president of Venezuela's National Assembly
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why would Maduro bring this complaint to OPEP+ specifically, rather than, say, the United Nations or the Non-Aligned Movement?
Oil is the only leverage Venezuela has left. OPEP+ controls global energy supply. If you can convince Saudi Arabia or Russia that American military activity threatens their interests too, you've moved the conversation from "Venezuela's internal crisis" to "a threat to all of us."
But Venezuela's oil production is already in freefall. Does OPEP+ actually care what happens to Venezuelan output?
That's the gamble. Maduro is betting that the principle matters more than the current numbers—that if the US can use military force to pressure one oil state, it sets a precedent. And some OPEP+ members, especially Russia, have reasons to see American power in the region as a threat.
The claim about 83 deaths—how would we verify that?
That's the hard part. These operations happen in international waters, in contested circumstances. Venezuela says civilians died; the US says it targets drug traffickers. Without independent investigation, the number becomes a claim, not a fact. But the fact that Rodríguez announced a commission suggests they're preparing a narrative for international consumption.
Is there any chance this actually changes American policy?
Not directly. But it does something else: it creates a record. If Venezuela can get OPEP+ members to acknowledge the complaint, it becomes part of the diplomatic file. Years from now, if there's a settlement or negotiation, this moment will be cited as evidence of American aggression.
What's the real fear underneath all this?
That the US will use military pressure to force a regime change that serves American interests—and that once that happens, a new Venezuelan government might be more willing to hand over oil contracts on favorable terms. Maduro is saying: this isn't about drugs, it's about resources. Whether that's true or a convenient narrative is almost beside the point.