US President Donald Trump directed a "total and complete blockade" targeting all sanctioned oil tankers entering or departing Venezuela on Tuesday, dramatically intensifying his sustained pressure operation against President Nicolás Maduro's administration, The Washington Post reported.
The blockade Trump unveiled Tuesday evening on Truth Social threatens to cripple Venezuela's already faltering economy, which relies on foreign oil transactions – primarily with China and frequently via sanctioned ships.
Trump posted that "Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America." He continued: "It will only get bigger, and the shock to them will be like nothing they have ever seen before — Until such time as they return to the United States of America all of the Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously stole from us."
The president additionally designated the Venezuelan "regime" as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) and charged government officials with exploiting oil revenues for personal enrichment and funding drug terrorism. This action further amplifies the pressure Trump has applied against Venezuela as Washington attempts to compel Maduro's departure and warns of potential military intervention if he refuses.
US forces in the Caribbean last week captured a sanctioned vessel carrying oil after its departure from Venezuela. The military has also conducted air strikes against two dozen small boats allegedly transporting drugs from Venezuela since September, according to the report.
The Maduro administration, in a statement Vice President Delcy Rodríguez shared on social media, characterized Trump's announcement as "grotesque" and "warmongering threats" and committed to denouncing the violation of international law before the United Nations.
Whether Trump was announcing a new foreign terrorist organization or referencing the previously designated Cartel de los Soles, which Maduro and other Venezuelan government officials led, the administration's claims remained unclear, The Washington Post reported.
Should Trump intend to classify the Maduro government as a foreign terrorist organization – a designation legally implemented by the State Department rather than the White House – Venezuela would become the first country ever to receive such status. Venezuela's government is already "blocked," a measure Trump enacted during his first term that prohibits any US person or entity from conducting business with it, according to the report.
Trump also introduced a new justification for his attacks against Venezuela – beyond what he described as "terrorism, drug smuggling and human trafficking" – placing at the top of the list what he claimed were US assets stolen by Venezuela and demanding their return "immediately." As Trump described it, the "blockade" would target only oil tankers that are part of the so-called dark fleet of vessels already sanctioned by the US, according to the report.
Last week, the administration seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela that was carrying oil from PDVSA. The US imposed sanctions on the Skipper in 2022, stating that it was involved in transporting illegal Iranian oil.
Venezuela is home to the world's largest proven oil reserves, but mismanagement, poor infrastructure, and US-led sanctions have caused output to plummet over the years. Its largest customers are now China and the US, to which oil produced in Venezuela by Chevron is exported.
