As pressure on Venezuela intensifies, United States President Donald Trump has announced what he described as a “total and complete” blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuelan ports. The move signals a sharp escalation in Washington’s confrontation with the government of President Nicolás Maduro and underscores Trump’s hardline approach toward Caracas.
In a statement posted on his Truth Social platform, Trump accused the Maduro administration of misusing Venezuela’s oil wealth to finance criminal networks, terrorism and human trafficking. He alleged that vast resources extracted from Venezuelan oil fields had been illicitly diverted to support activities that, in his view, threaten regional and global security.
Trump claimed that Venezuela was now “completely surrounded” by what he called the largest naval armada ever assembled in South America. He warned that this military presence would continue to expand unless Caracas returned oil, land, and other assets that he asserted had been unlawfully taken from the United States and its interests.
The US president further said that his administration had formally designated the Maduro government as a “foreign terrorist organisation.” He justified the label by citing allegations of state-linked involvement in drug trafficking, kidnappings, human smuggling and organised violence, accusing the Venezuelan leadership of operating as a criminal enterprise rather than a legitimate government.
According to Trump, oil extracted from Venezuelan territory had effectively been stolen and was being used to bankroll what he described as “drug terrorism.” He said the United States would no longer tolerate what he characterised as systematic theft, corruption and criminal behaviour, adding that decisive action was now necessary to stop these practices.
Under the new order, US forces would block sanctioned oil tankers travelling to and from Venezuela. Trump did not provide details on how the blockade would be enforced in practice, nor did he clarify whether the operation would involve cooperation with allied nations or be carried out unilaterally by the United States.
Trump also linked the move to immigration policy, claiming that Venezuelans who had entered the United States illegally during the previous Biden administration were now being deported at an accelerated pace as part of a broader crackdown on unlawful migration.
The announcement comes against the backdrop of an expanded US military presence in the Caribbean and waters near Venezuela. This buildup has reportedly included naval deployments, increased air patrols and the seizure of vessels accused of participating in illicit activities. Earlier in the week, Trump said the United States had seized an oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast.
The Maduro government, however, rejected Washington’s accusations and accused Trump of seeking to forcibly remove him from power. Maduro also criticised the United Nations for what he described as silence in the face of what he called an act of piracy against a private vessel carrying Venezuelan oil.
Trump’s Republican administration has not sought authorisation from the US Congress for actions targeting Venezuela. According to US officials, the broader anti-drug campaign linked to maritime interdictions has so far resulted in at least 95 deaths across 25 known operations involving vessels in international waters in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.
