New Delhi, Sept. 5 -- The deadly strike on a boat U.S. officials say was carrying drugs from Venezuela may have marked a stunning shift in the countries' relations, but escalating pressure on the South American nation has defined much of Secretary of State Marco Rubio's quarter-century in politics.

President Donald Trump's top diplomat, a former Florida senator, has depicted Venezuela as a vestige of the communist ideology in the Western Hemisphere. Rubio has consistently pushed for the ouster of its leader, Nicolas Maduro, advocated for economic sanctions and even argued for American military intervention.

"I think that U.S. armed forces should only be used in cases of national security threats," he said in a 2018 interview with Univis...