- U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a “total and complete blockade” of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, sharply increasing pressure on President Nicolás Maduro’s government.
- Trump claimed Venezuela was funding terrorism, drug smuggling, and human trafficking, and said the regime had been designated a “foreign terrorist organization,” a claim that remains legally unclear.
- Maduro’s government condemned the move as a “grotesque threat,” accusing the U.S. of violating international law, free trade, and freedom of navigation.
- The blockade follows recent U.S. seizures of Venezuelan-linked oil tankers and more than two dozen U.S. military strikes on vessels near Venezuela, which have killed at least 90 people.
- Venezuela relies heavily on oil exports, producing about 1 million barrels per day, much of it shipped via a shadow fleet to evade sanctions.
- Oil prices rose more than 1% following the announcement amid concerns of reduced Venezuelan supply, though markets remain well supplied for now.
Trump Orders Blockade of ‘Sanctioned Oil Tankers’ Into Venezuela
