Photo: Alamy
President Donald Trump on Tuesday ordered what he described as “a total and complete blockade” of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, escalating U.S. pressure on the government of President Nicolás Maduro as tensions grow in the region.
The president announced the move in a post on Truth Social, accusing Venezuela’s leadership of “the theft of our Assets” and linking the regime to “Terrorism, Drug Smuggling, and Human Trafficking.” He said he was designating the Maduro government a Foreign Terrorist Organization and directing U.S. authorities to halt all sanctioned tanker traffic.
“The Illegal Aliens and Criminals that the Maduro Regime has sent into the United States during the weak and inept Biden Administration, are being returned to Venezuela at a rapid pace. America will not allow Criminals, Terrorists, or other Countries, to rob, threaten, or harm our Nation and, likewise, will not allow a Hostile Regime to take our Oil, Land, or any other Assets, all of which must be returned to the United States, IMMEDIATELY. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” the post continued.
The announcement followed the seizure last week of a sanctioned oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast, an operation U.S. officials said was part of stepped-up enforcement targeting illicit oil shipments and sanctions evasion networks.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said the tanker had been used to transport oil for sanctioned actors connected to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and Hezbollah. She said the vessel was seized under a U.S. warrant and is now subject to forfeiture proceedings.
The seizure was among the most visible actions in a broader increase in U.S. pressure on Venezuela, as the Trump administration has moved to cut off revenue streams to the Maduro government.
Since early fall, the United States has expanded its naval and Coast Guard presence in the Caribbean. U.S. Southern Command has said the buildup is intended to disrupt drug trafficking routes, enforce sanctions, and protect U.S. national security interests.
The Pentagon has said U.S. forces have also intercepted and destroyed multiple vessels suspected of transporting narcotics in international waters near Venezuela as part of a campaign against transnational criminal organizations.
Trump administration officials have long accused senior Venezuelan officials of working with drug cartels and terror-linked networks. The Justice Department has filed charges against several Venezuelan figures, alleging narco-terrorism and arguing that drug profits are used to destabilize the region and fuel the flow of fentanyl and other narcotics into the United States.
