Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said he is prepared to declare a state of emergency in response to what he called U.S. “aggression,” after deadly American strikes on small boats in international waters off Venezuela’s coast.

According to Al Jazeera, he announced a consultation process and signed a decree granting himself special defense and security powers for 90 days, renewable once, enabling nationwide troop mobilization and temporary military authority over public services and the oil industry. Vice President Delcy Rodríguez briefed foreign diplomats on the measures.

The moves follow a major U.S. deployment in the Caribbean—eight warships, a nuclear-powered submarine, and F-35 fighters near Venezuela and in Puerto Rico—under the banner of anti-drug operations.

U.S. forces have bombed at least three vessels, killing 17 people, while UN experts and international scholars have criticized the actions as extrajudicial killings of individuals not indicted in court. Caracas accuses Washington of waging an “undeclared war,” noting UN and U.S. data indicate Venezuela is not a significant source of cocaine to the United States.