Trump Orders Blockade of Sanctioned Venezuelan Oil Tankers Amid Escalating Military Campaign

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump announced a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers destined for Venezuela, escalating a U.S. military campaign that has already claimed 95 lives in 25 vessel strikes.

Blockade Announcement and Trump’s Rhetoric

Trump’s post on his social media platform declared that Venezuela is “completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America,” and that the country would face a shock like never before until it returns all oil, land, and other assets previously stolen from the United States. He added, “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.”

Maduro, on state television, said, “Venezuela has 25 weeks denouncing, confronting and defeating a campaign of multidimensional aggression, ranging from psychological terrorism to the piracy of the corsairs who assaulted the oil tanker.”

Military Campaign and Strikes

The buildup has included a series of strikes on boats in international waters in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. The campaign has killed at least 95 people in 25 known strikes on vessels. Trump has for weeks said that the U.S. will move its campaign beyond the water and start strikes on land.

Susie Wiles appeared to confirm in a Vanity Fair interview that the campaign is part of a push to oust Maduro. Wiles said Trump “wants to keep on blowing boats up until Maduro cries uncle.”

Venezuelan Response and Oil Economy

Venezuela has the world’s largest proven oil reserves and produces about 1 million barrels a day. Since the Trump administration began imposing oil sanctions in 2017, the Maduro government has relied on a shadowy fleet of unflagged tankers to smuggle crude into global supply chains. PDVSA is locked out of global oil markets by U.S. sanctions and sells most exports at a steep discount in the black market in China.

Francisco Monaldi said about 850,000 barrels of the 1 million daily production is exported. Of that, 80% goes to China, 15% to 17% goes to the U.S. through Chevron Corp., and the remainder goes to Cuba.

In October, Trump appeared to confirm reports that Maduro offered a stake in Venezuela’s oil and other mineral wealth to try to stave off mounting pressure from the United States. Trump said “He’s offered everything,” and that “He doesn’t want to f— around with the United States.”

US Naval Presence and Legal Designations

The U.S. Navy has 11 ships, including an aircraft carrier and several amphibious assault ships, in the region. These assets carry helicopters, V-22 Ospreys, and the P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, providing a significant ability to monitor marine traffic coming in and out of the country.

Trump said the “Venezuelan Regime has been designated a FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION,” but it was unclear what he was referring to. The foreign terrorist organization designation is historically reserved for non-state actors. In November, the Trump administration announced it was designating the Cartel de los Soles as a foreign terrorist organization.

Venezuela is not on the list of state sponsors of terrorism. The U.S. has rarely designated an element of a foreign government as an FTO; the first term did so with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Key Takeaways

• Trump orders blockade of all sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers.
• The U.S. military campaign has killed 95 people in 25 vessel strikes.
• Venezuela’s oil exports rely on unflagged tankers and face U.S. sanctions.

The blockade announcement signals a deepening of U.S. pressure on Venezuela, combining military action with economic sanctions as the Trump administration seeks to influence Maduro’s regime.