By Blessing Nweke
US President Donald Trump has announced a “total and complete” blockade on all sanctioned oil tankers going into and out of Venezuela, escalating tensions with the South American nation. In a post on Truth Social, Trump stated that Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro’s government had been labeled a foreign terrorist organization, accusing it of terrorism, drug smuggling, and human trafficking. The President further claimed that the Maduro regime was using stolen oil to finance illegal activities, including drug trafficking, kidnapping, and murder.
This directive comes after the US Navy seized an oil tanker, Skipper, off the coast of Venezuela earlier this month, a move that Venezuela condemned as “piracy.” The Trump administration’s decision is part of ongoing US efforts to impose stringent sanctions on the Venezuelan government. The blockade also signals an increased US military presence in the region, with Trump stating that Venezuela is “completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America.”
The US has accused the Maduro government of using its oil resources to fund illicit operations, including the trafficking of fentanyl. Since September, the US military has reportedly killed over 90 individuals in strikes targeting vessels allegedly linked to illegal drug shipments. Trump’s announcement coincided with a rise in US crude oil prices, which saw a 1.3% increase after the blockade order.
Venezuela, which holds some of the world’s largest oil reserves, has repeatedly accused the US of attempting to seize its resources. Tensions between the two countries have been high for years, with the US imposing sanctions on Maduro’s regime under both Trump and Biden administrations.
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