Trump orders a "total blockade" of sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela

BarcelonaUS President Donald Trump on Tuesday ordered "a total and complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela," in a new step in Washington's escalating pressure on the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Caracas considered it a "grotesque threat." Trump asserted on his Truth Social account that Venezuela "is surrounded" by "the greatest navy in South American history" and that the upheaval will be unprecedented "until they return all the oil, land, and other assets they have stolen" to the United States. The Republican thus announced the "total blockade" of oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, in a significant escalation of the military operation he has launched in international waters of the Caribbean under the pretext of combating drug trafficking organizations operating in the region. On Tuesday, a new attack in the Pacific targeted three vessels It left 9 dead, bringing the total number of victims in the campaign that Washington began in September to 95.

In his message, the president added that "the illegitimate Maduro regime is using the oil from these stolen fields to finance itself, narco-terrorism, human trafficking, murder, and kidnapping." Following the presidential order, it remains unclear how many oil tankers will be affected or what consequences this measure will have for the Venezuelan oil industry. Maduro responded by calling the announcement a "grotesque threat" and said that the US president "intends to impose, in an absolutely irrational way, a supposed naval military blockade" with the aim of "stealing Venezuela's riches."

Last week, the United States Southern Command, which since August has attacked more than 30 vessels allegedly linked to drug trafficking in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific, took a turn in its operations in international waters. He seized the oil tanker Skipper, A tanker carrying Venezuelan crude oil was intercepted by US forces in the Caribbean near the coast of the South American country under a court order. The vessel, sanctioned by Washington since 2022 for its links to a "shadow fleet" of crude oil carriers and accused of violating sanctions, was taken to a US port to begin legal proceedings to seize its cargo. The move, considered a significant escalation of pressure against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, has further strained relations between the two countries and contributed to a drop in Venezuelan crude shipments. Trump has also threatened further seizures of sanctioned tankers in nearby waters. The latest escalation of the US military operation comes amid an increased military presence in the Caribbean and has been denounced by Caracas as "piracy," while the White House has defended the seizure of the first sanctioned oil tanker as part of its policy of sanctions and control of related assets.