BarcelonaThe President of the United States, Donald Trump, ordered this Tuesday “the total and complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela”, in a new step in the escalation of Washington’s pressure on the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Caracas has considered it a “grotesque threat”.
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Trump has assured on his Truth Social account that Venezuela “is surrounded” by “the largest army in the history of South America” and that the commotion will be unprecedented “until they return all the oil, land and other assets they have stolen” to the United States.
The republican has thus announced the “total blockade” of oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, in a significant escalation of the military operation he has initiated in the international waters of the Caribbean under the pretext of combating the drug trafficking organizations that operate in the region. On Tuesday, a new attack in the Pacific against three boats left 9 dead, bringing to 95 the total number of victims in the campaign that Washington began in September.
In his message, the president added that “Maduro’s illegitimate regime is using the oil from these stolen deposits to finance narco-terrorism, human trafficking, murder and kidnapping.” After the presidential order, it has not been clear how many oil tankers will be affected or what consequences this measure will have for the Venezuelan oil industry. Maduro has responded by calling the announcement a “grotesque threat” and has said that the president of the United States “intends to impose in an absolutely irrational manner an alleged naval military blockade” with the aim of “stealing the wealth” of Venezuela.
Last week, the US Southern Command, which since August has attacked more than 30 vessels allegedly linked to drug trafficking in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, made a U-turn in its operations in international waters. He confiscated the oil tanker Skipperwhich transported Venezuess near the coast of the South American country and was intercepted by North American forces in the Caribbean under a court order.
The ship, sanctioned by Washington since 2022 for its links with a “shadow fleet” transporting crude oil and accused of violating sanctions, was moved to a US port to start a legal process to confiscate its cargo. The move, seen as a significant escalation of pressure against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, has further strained relations between the two countries and contributed to a drop in Venezuelan crude shipments. At the same time, Trump has threatened new seizures of sanctioned oil tankers in nearby waters.
The new escalation of the US military operation has come amid an increase in the military presence in the Caribbean and has been denounced by Caracas as “piracy”, while the White House has defended the seizure of the first oil tanker sanctioned as part of its policy of sanctions and control of assets linked to illicit activities.
