Trump Orders Blockade Of Sanctioned Oil Entering And Leaving Venezuela

US President Donald Trump has announced he is implementing a “a total and complete” blockade targeting all sanctioned oil tankers traveling to and from Venezuela.

Via a Truth Social post, he revealed that Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro‘s government had received a designation as a foreign terrorist organization and leveled accusations against it for appropriating US assets, along with “Terrorism, Drug Smuggling, and Human Trafficking”.

“Therefore, today, I am ordering A TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS going into, and out of, Venezuela,” he stated.

His comments followed the US seizure of an oil tanker near Venezuela’s coast one week prior. Venezuela’s government responded with a statement rejecting Trump’s “grotesque threat.”

In his announcement, Trump claimed Venezuela was “completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America.”

Related: Venezuelan Opposition Leader Maria Corina Machado Awarded 2025 Nobel Peace Prize

He indicated it will “only get bigger” and “be like nothing they have ever seen before”.

Trump further charged that Maduro’s government was exploiting stolen oil to “finance themselves, Drug Terrorism, Human Trafficking, Murder, and Kidnapping”.

The Trump administration has consistently accused Venezuela of narcotics trafficking, and starting in September, US military operations have resulted in at least 90 deaths during strikes on vessels allegedly transporting fentanyl and other illegal drugs toward the US.

Recent months have seen the US deploy warships to the area.

Venezuela – which possesses some of the planet’s largest confirmed oil reserves – has responded by accusing Washington of attempting to plunder its resources.

The US, during both Trump and former President Joe Biden’s tenures, has maintained opposition to the Maduro government for years and advocated for his removal through the implementation of severe sanctions.

Last week, the US introduced additional sanctions targeting six more vessels allegedly transporting Venezuelan oil.

Sanctions were additionally imposed on certain relatives of President Maduro and on commercial entities linked to what the US characterized as his illegitimate regime.

One day prior, the US announced it had seized a tanker near Venezuela’s coastline.

The White House reported that the confiscated vessel, named the Skipper, had participated in “illicit oil shipping” and would be transported to an American port.

Venezuela’s government condemned the seizure, with Maduro claiming the US “kidnapped the crew” and “stole” the ship.

The US had expanded its military footprint in the Caribbean Sea, which lies north of Venezuela, during the days preceding the raid.

The operation included thousands of military personnel and USS Gerald Ford – the planet’s largest aircraft carrier – being deployed within operational range of Venezuela.

Congressman Joaquin Castro, a Democrat representing Texas, characterized Trump’s “naval blockade is unquestionably an act of war”.

He noted that US lawmakers will vote on Thursday on a resolution “directing the president to end hostilities with Venezuela.’’