Trump Enforces Total Blockade on Sanctioned Venezuelan Oil Tankers
President Donald Trump stated he was implementing a “TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS” entering and exiting Venezuela, intensifying pressure on Caracas in light of a US military buildup in the area and the potential for land strikes. “Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America,” Trump wrote on social media Tuesday. “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.” Trump stated that he was designating the regime of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro as a “FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION,” accusing the “illegitimate” government of using oil from stolen fields to finance drug terrorism, human trafficking, murder, and kidnapping. Oil prices rose following the post, with West Texas Intermediate climbing as much as 1.7%, rebounding from its lowest level in nearly five years.
The move marks an escalation of the Trump administration’s campaign against Maduro, whom it accuses of running a narco-trafficking operation. Last week, the United States seized a sanctioned oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast. Following that action, an armada of four supertankers originally heading to Venezuela changed course after the seizure of the tanker known as The Skipper. The Pentagon has conducted more than 20 strikes against suspected drug-trafficking vessels in waters near Venezuela and Colombia, resulting in multiple fatalities. Trump has repeatedly suggested that the US could target land-based sites and has openly called for Maduro’s removal from power.
The Maduro government has condemned the US actions as an attempt to seize Venezuela’s oil reserves, the largest in the world. Once a major producer, Venezuela’s output has fallen sharply over the past decade. Last month, tankers were loaded with nearly 590,000 barrels per day for export, compared with global consumption of more than 100 million barrels per day, with most Venezuelan crude shipped to China. The socialist-run economy has come under severe pressure since Trump tightened oil trading restrictions earlier this year. Dollar inflows, largely tied to crude sales, fell 30% in the first ten months of 2025, straining the exchange rate and pushing inflation toward an estimated 400% annually, according to economists.
State oil firm Petroleos de Venezuela SA, or PDVSA, oversees the country’s petroleum sector and works with international partners such as Houston-based Chevron Corp. Chevron currently compensates Venezuela with a share of oil produced through joint ventures under a US Treasury license that shields it from sanctions. Following the seizure of The Skipper, Chevron cut prices on Venezuelan crude sold to US refiners and stated it operates in full compliance with US laws and sanctions. In recent months, Maduro has urged citizens to mobilize against US threats, claiming a militia of over 8 million members, while deploying troops, ships, aircraft, and drones along borders and coastlines. Earlier this week, Maduro called the tanker seizure “criminal and illegal.” In an interview, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles said Trump’s strategy is to intensify pressure until Maduro yields, stating, “He wants to keep on blowing boats up until Maduro cries uncle.”
