President Donald Trump has dramatically escalated pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his regime by announcing a “TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS” entering and leaving the country.
The order, announced via social media on Tuesday, comes amid a substantial US military buildup in the region and a series of aggressive actions against suspected drug-trafficking operations.
The Blockade and Military Buildup
President Trump tied the blockade directly to the US military presence in the area, stating the move is non-negotiable until Venezuela returns all “Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously stole from us.”
- “Largest Armada Ever”: Trump claimed that Venezuela is now “completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America,” warning that the military presence “will only get bigger.”
- Terrorist Designation: Alongside the blockade, Trump announced he was designating the Maduro regime as a “FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION.”
- Accusations: Trump accused the “illegitimate” regime of utilizing oil from “stolen Oil Fields to finance themselves, Drug Terrorism, Human Trafficking, Murder, and Kidnapping.”
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles confirmed the administration’s aggressive intent, stating in a Vanity Fair interview published Tuesday that Trump “wants to keep on blowing boats up until Maduro cries uncle.”
Recent US Military Actions
The blockade follows several weeks of escalating military and economic pressure:
- Tanker Seizure: Last week, the US seized a sanctioned oil tanker, named The Skipper, off Venezuela’s coast. This action immediately caused an armada of four supertankers originally headed for Venezuela to reverse course.
- Anti-Trafficking Strikes: The Pentagon has reportedly conducted more than 20 strikes against purported drug-trafficking vessels near Venezuela and Colombia, resulting in dozens of fatalities.
- Threat of Land Strikes: Trump has repeatedly suggested that the US could execute strikes against countries on land and that Maduro should be removed from power.
Maduro’s government has countered by characterizing the US actions as a strategic attempt to “grab for Venezuela’s oil reserves,” which are the largest in the world. Maduro recently deployed troops, ships, aircraft, and drones to the border with Colombia, along the coast, and to an island, while calling on citizens to enlist in the citizen militia.
Economic Impact on Venezuela
The tightening of oil-trading restrictions earlier this year has severely strained Venezuela’s socialist-run economy:
- Dollar Supply Collapse: The government’s supply of dollars, almost entirely tied to crude sales, has already fallen 30% in the first ten months of 2025.
- Inflation: The currency squeeze has pressured the exchange rate and driven up prices, with annual inflation expected to top 400% by year’s-end, according to local economists.
While the state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA) controls the petroleum industry, it works with international partners like Houston-based Chevron Corp. Chevron, operating under a US Treasury license that exempts it from sanctions, pays Venezuela a percentage of the oil it produces in joint ventures. Following the seizure of The Skipper, Chevron lowered the price of Venezuelan crude offered to US refiners, though the company affirmed its continued compliance with all US laws and sanctions frameworks.