In his latest move against Nicolas Maduro and Venezuela, President Trump escalates his campaign to blockade oil tankers from entering or exiting the country.
This latest move comes as Maduro and the Venezuelan government condemns the “grotesque threat” against its country. Donald Trump has ordered “a total and complete” blockade of all oil tankers from entering and leaving Venezuela under sanctions, thus increasing pressure on the country’s authoritarian leader. Who has served as the president of the country since 2013.
Recently, the Trump administration has escalated its campaign against Nicolas Maduro, including a heavier military presence in the area. Moreover, the US President has ordered more than two dozen military strikes on Venezuelan vessels in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Coast near Venezuela, killing dozens of people that Trump claims are moving drugs to the US. Trump has even proclaimed fentanyl as a “weapon of mass destruction.”
However, after the president ordered the military to seize a large oil tanker, he was asked what he will do with the oil, to which Trump said, “We’ll keep it, I guess.” The tanker was believed to hold around two million barrels of Venezuela’s heavy crude, and Maduro’s government accused the US of “blatant theft.” The country’s president described the seizure as “an act of international piracy,” which further increased tensions between the two countries.
In a post on social media, Trump announced the blockade, while alleging that Venezuela used oil to fund drug trafficking and other crimes, while vowing to escalate the US military buildup in the area.
“Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America. 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…” – President Trump,” Trump wrote.
“Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America. 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… pic.twitter.com/WWQwJfcplD
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) December 17, 2025
As noted by the BBC, Venezuela’s economy is heavily dependent on oil exports, even though the amount of oil it produces is relatively small, even though the country is home to the world’s largest proven reserves. When Trump ordered the seizure of the tanker off the south American nation’s coast last week, the White House stated that the vessel was involved in “illicit oil shipping” and ordered the ship to be taken to a US port.
As it happened, President Maduro decried the move, accusing the US of kidnapping the crew and stealing the ship. Meanwhile, the move was planned for some time and the US has continued to build up its military presence in the Caribbean Sea off the borders of north Venezuela for months before making the raid.
The military build up involves thousands of US troops and the USS Gerald Ford, the largest aircraft carrier in the world, now positioned within striking distance of Venezuela.
