𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Sunday he may hold talks with Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, even as the United States intensified its military pressure with the latest strike on an alleged drug boat and the arrival of its most advanced aircraft carrier.

The suggestion of a possible diplomatic path to defuse the mounting tensions with the South American country came after Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the U.S. would designate the Cartel de los Soles, a group Washington alleges is run by Maduro, as a foreign terrorist organization.

The designation, set to take effect on Nov. 24, puts the cartel among the likes of Hamas and the Islamic State group. It allows the U.S. government to seize its assets and makes it unlawful to provide “material support” to the group.

Maduro denies having any ties to the drug trade, accusing the U.S. of “fabricating” a war against him.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One late Sunday, Trump indicated the U.S. “may be having some discussions with Maduro,” adding that “they would like to talk.” He did not elaborate further on the possibility of talks.

Asked whether the terror designation means the U.S. could then target Maduro’s personal assets, Trump said: “It allows us to do that, but we haven’t said we’re going to do that.”

He was speaking after the U.S. Southern Command confirmed on X that it carried out a strike on an alleged drug boat in the eastern Pacific on Saturday, killing three people.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed the strike, Southern Command said in a post on X. The post alleged that the boat was “operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization” and was “trafficking narcotics in the Eastern Pacific,” adding that the strike took place in international waters.

“Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics,” the post said.

NBC News has not independently confirmed the military’s account. The administration has not provided evidence supporting its allegations about the vessel or the people on board.

Video released by Southern Command appears to show the strike causing a large wave to spike up next to the boat, which is then engulfed in flames.

The U.S. has now conducted at least 21 strikes on alleged drug boats during the second Trump administration, prompting concerns from some lawmakers.

NBC News reported last week that the Trump administration carried out its 20th such attack, according to a Pentagon official. That strike took place in the Caribbean Sea. Previous attacks took place in both the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific, and they have killed more than 75 people, according to officials.

Sunday’s announcement came the day the USS Gerald R. Ford, a major aircraft carrier, arrived in the Caribbean.

Hegseth and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine met with Trump on Friday and briefed him on options for potential military action against Venezuela, according to a senior White House official and a U.S. official familiar with the meeting.

Both officials said the president has been meeting with his national security team about Venezuela frequently in recent days. Right now, the president is satisfied with the strikes on alleged drug vessels, the senior White House official said. But both officials said Trump has expressed a willingness to strike targets on land as well.

As of Friday evening, Trump has not signed off on strikes on land, but that could change, the officials said. The military options are ready for him, and the U.S. has assets in the region now, so if he decides to move forward with strikes, they can begin quickly, the officials said.

The strikes have generated controversy in Congress, as Democrats and some Republicans paint the administration’s moves as heavy-handed overreach that circumvents lawmakers.

But in October, the Senate rejected a resolution requiring President Donald Trump to obtain congressional approval for military strikes in the Caribbean. The Senate this month voted down a similar resolution that would require the president to obtain congressional approval for any military action against Venezuela.

Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Rand Paul of Kentucky sided with Democrats to require congressional authorization.

Paul said in October in an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that the strikes “go against all of our tradition.” He raised concerns over people being killed without the administration’s providing evidence of crimes, noting the possibility that some of those killed could be innocent.