President Donald Trump on Tuesday ordered what he called “a total and complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela,” sharply escalating U.S. pressure on the socialist Nicolás Maduro regime after months of rising confrontations, maritime seizures, and anti-narcotics operations in the region.
Trump announced the decision in a post on Truth Social, saying Venezuela’s regime had engaged in “the theft of our Assets” and was tied to “Terrorism, Drug Smuggling, and Human Trafficking,” adding that he was designating the regime a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and directing U.S. authorities to halt all sanctioned tanker traffic.
The president’s declaration came one week after U.S. forces seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, an operation U.S. officials described as part of an aggressive enforcement push against illicit oil shipments and sanctions evasion networks.
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