Trump Orders Blockade of Certain Oil Tankers Around Venezuela
On Tuesday, President Trump declared that the United States would implement a blockade on all “sanctioned oil tankers” traveling to and from Venezuela, marking an escalation in the administration’s long-term pressure strategy against Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s leader. Mr. Trump characterized the decision in aggressive terms. “Venezuela is entirely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America,” he stated on social media. “It will only expand, and the shock to them will be unprecedented.”This action could result in a decrease in the earnings the Venezuelan government and its state-run oil enterprise receive from oil exports. However, the announcement left several aspects ambiguous, such as the number of oil tankers that would be impacted. Mr. Trump did not specify what he meant by “sanctioned oil tankers,” and it was unclear which vessels the U.S. intended to intercept.Last Wednesday, U.S. Coast Guard and law enforcement teams, backed by the Pentagon, captured a tanker in the Caribbean Sea that was transporting Venezuelan oil to Cuba and China. A federal judge had authorized the seizure, noting that the tanker had recently carried oil from Iran, which is under stringent U.S. sanctions.In his statement, Mr. Trump emphasized that the blockade would remain in effect until Venezuela returned to the United States “all of the Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously stole from us.”Recently, the U.S. military has been amassing a significant presence in the Caribbean, and Mr. Trump has threatened military actions inside Venezuela. Since September, the U.S. forces have been executing airstrikes on boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, many in proximity to Venezuela, leading to at least 95 casualties in 25 separate incidents.Mr. Trump has claimed these strikes aim to curb drug trafficking into the United States; however, Venezuela does not produce drugs, and cocaine moving through the country is largely destined for Europe. Numerous legal experts contend that the strikes are unlawful and that the military is causing civilian casualties.
Published: 2025-12-17 01:16:00
source: www.nytimes.com
