Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Monday that channels of communication between the United States and Venezuela have been severed by Washington amid "persistent aggression". Maduro told a press conference in Venezuela's capital Caracas that the U.S. was waging judicial, political, diplomatic, and military attacks against Venezuela, and government-to-government communications had largely been severed. The president blamed the breakdown on "threats and blackmail" from the U.S.. In addition, Maduro said that the United States, as a country that has legalized the production and consumption of marijuana, has no right to criticize Venezuela. The president stressed that Venezuela will not "fall into the foolish trap of drug legalization". Recently, the United States has deployed several naval warships in the Caribbean Sea under the pretext of fighting drug trafficking networks in Latin America, leading to continued tensions between the two countries. Shotlist: Caracas, Venezuela - Sept 15, 2025: 1. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro at press conference; 2. Sign reading (Spanish) "press conference"; 3. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Nicolas Maduro, Venezuelan President: "Today I can announce that communications with the U.S. government have been severed by them through their bomb threats, death threats and blackmail. We will not accept such threats and coercive means, and they can never yield any results."; 4. Various of press conference in progress, Maduro speaking; national flag of Venezuela; media crew. [Restriction - No access Chinese mainland]