President Donald Trump ordered a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers coming in and out of Venezuela and designated Nicolas Maduro’s government a foreign terrorist organization.
Trump made the announcement in a threatening message on Truth Social on Tuesday, boasting that the South American nation was “completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America.” He warned that pressure would only increase and demanded the government “return to the United States of America all of the Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously stole from us.”
“For the theft of our Assets, and many other reasons, including Terrorism, Drug Smuggling, and Human Trafficking, the Venezuelan Regime has been designated a FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION. Therefore, today, I am ordering A TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS going into, and out of, Venezuela,” Trump declared, adding that Venezuelan migrants and criminals that entered during the “weak and inept” Biden administration were being returned “at a rapid pace.”
The theft Trump repeatedly derides refers to the nationalization of foreign oil assets in the country by Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chavez, in 2007. The president said all assets must be returned to the U.S. “IMMEDIATELY.”
Trump’s comments mark his biggest escalation against Maduro yet, marking a move that could place crippling economic and political pressure on Caracas.
In August, the Trump administration accused Maduro of being a “narco-terrorist,” offering a $50 million bounty for information leading to his arrest. On Sept. 2, the United States began its air campaign against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean Sea. The strikes have killed 94 people, with White House chief of staff Susie Wiles saying in a Vanity Fair interview published Tuesday that they would continue until Maduro “cries uncle.”
The strikes on the suspected drug vessels are widely interpreted as an unsubtle threat to the Maduro government, showing that Washington is fully willing and ready to use lethal force against Venezuela, coming alongside the largest buildup of U.S. military forces in the Caribbean since the 1990s. The logistical effort required to maintain the buildup has fed speculation that Trump could be gearing up for massive strikes against Venezuela, intended to cripple the Maduro government and force him out.
It has conducted simulated bombing runs against Venezuela using heavy B-52 and B-1 bombers.
Trump and administration officials have even gone so far as to deliver unsubtle threats against the life of Maduro himself.
“I would say yeah,” Trump responded when asked in a November 60 Minutes interview if Maduro’s days were numbered. “I think so, yeah.”
The president has repeated the line several times since.
SEIZED OIL TANKER IS ANOTHER POINT TO TRUMP’S PRESSURE CAMPAIGN ON MADURO
U.S. officials explained the Trump administration’s strategy to the Wall Street Journal last month, saying that the increasing pressure could push some within Venezuela’s security elite to turn against Maduro and force him out of power before any military intervention is needed.
Pressure has only increased on Venezuela since. Over the past week, U.S. special forces boarded the Skipper, a sanctioned vessel transporting Venezuelan oil, in the first move of its kind. Most oil exports go to China.
