Trump orders blockade of oil tankers from ‘foreign terrorist organization’ Venezuela, demands regime cede oil and land
President Trump announced on Truth Social that he was imposing “a TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS going into, and out of, Venezuela.” He went on to say the country should be viewed as a “foreign terrorist organization” and demanded that the Maduro regime hand back “all of the oil, land, and other assets that they previously stole from us.”
In the same post, Trump warned that “America will not allow Criminals, Terrorists, or other Countries, to rob, threaten, or harm our Nation and, likewise, will not allow a Hostile Regime to take our Oil, Land, or any other Assets, all of which must be returned to the United States, IMMEDIATELY.”
The specifics of the “stolen” oil and land are unclear, but Venezuelan history suggests a pattern: former leader Hugo Chávez nationalised many oil fields and took control of stakes that had belonged to companies such as ExxonMobil.
Venezuela still holds the world’s largest known oil reserves, producing roughly one million barrels a day. However, U.S. sanctions have largely cut the country off from global markets, forcing it to sell a sizable portion of its output on the black market—often at steep discounts to buyers in China.
Trump’s order came just a week after his administration seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast. For several weeks, Trump has tightened pressure on Nicolás Maduro, ordering actions against alleged Venezuelan drug boats in the Caribbean and deploying U.S. naval assets to the region.
He characterized the situation by saying, “Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America,” adding that that force would only grow and that the shock to the regime would be unlike anything they’ve seen before.
Trump accused the Maduro government of using revenue from “stolen Oil Fields” to fuel “Drug Terrorism, Human Trafficking, Murder, and Kidnapping.” He pointed out that the United States has at least ten Navy ships in the area, including an aircraft carrier and amphibious assault vessels.
Earlier this month, Trump hinted at plans to strike inside Venezuelan territory. His chief of staff, Susie Wiles, reportedly suggested that his ultimate aim is to force Maduro out of power, saying, “He wants to keep on blowing boats up until [President Nicolás] Maduro cries uncle. And people way smarter than me on that say that he will,” in an interview with Vanity Fair.
Finally, Trump criticized the Biden administration as “weak and inept,” and highlighted the rapid return of illegal Venezuelan immigrants back to their homeland.
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