• US President Donald Trump announced a “total and complete” blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela, accusing the Maduro government of terrorism, drug smuggling and human trafficking.
• The move follows the US seizure of an oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast, fresh sanctions on ships, individuals and businesses linked to Caracas, and an expanded US naval and military presence in the Caribbean.
• Venezuela rejected Trump’s remarks as a “grotesque threat”, accused Washington of stealing its resources, and condemned the tanker seizure as an act of aggression.
US President Donald Trump has said he has ordered a “total and complete” blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela, sharply escalating tensions between Washington and Caracas.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro had been designated a foreign terrorist organisation and accused it of stealing US assets and engaging in terrorism, drug smuggling and human trafficking. He said the blockade would apply to all oil tankers subject to US sanctions.
Trump’s remarks came a week after the United States seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. Venezuela’s government rejected what it described as Trump’s “grotesque threat” and accused Washington of aggression.
In his post, Trump claimed Venezuela was “completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the history of South America” and warned that the US military presence in the region would continue to expand. He also accused the Maduro government of using stolen oil to finance criminal activities including drug trafficking, murder and kidnapping.
The Trump administration has repeatedly accused Venezuela of drug smuggling. Since September, the US military has said it has killed at least 90 people in strikes on boats allegedly carrying fentanyl and other illegal drugs bound for the United States. In recent months, Washington has also moved additional warships into the region.
Venezuela, which holds some of the world’s largest proven oil reserves, has accused the US of attempting to seize its natural resources. The US has opposed the Maduro government for years, under both Trump and former president Joe Biden, and has sought to isolate it through wide-ranging sanctions.
Last week, the US imposed fresh sanctions on six additional vessels it said were transporting Venezuelan oil, along with sanctions on some of Maduro’s relatives and businesses linked to what Washington has called an illegitimate regime.
The White House said a seized tanker, identified as the Skipper, had been involved in illicit oil shipping and would be taken to an American port. Venezuela’s government denounced the move, with President Maduro accusing the US of kidnapping the crew and stealing the vessel.
The seizure followed a build-up of US military forces in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela, involving thousands of troops and the deployment of the USS Gerald Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, within striking distance of the country.
