US President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced a blockade of what he described as “sanctioned oil vessels” travelling to and from Venezuela, sharply escalating Washington’s pressure on the government of President Nicolás
Maduro and intensifying tensions in the Caribbean region.
The announcement comes amid a significant US military buildup in the Caribbean, officially aimed at combating drug trafficking in Latin America but increasingly focused on Venezuela. Caracas has accused Washington of using the operation as a pretext to undermine Maduro’s government and gain control over the country’s vast oil resources.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said he had ordered “a total and complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers going into, and out of, Venezuela.” He also warned that Venezuela was “completely surrounded by the largest armada ever assembled in the history of South America,” referring to US Navy and Marine deployments in the region, including an aircraft carrier.
Tensions have been rising in recent weeks, with Trump repeatedly signalling the possibility of military action. He has declared Venezuela’s airspace effectively “closed” and suggested that expanded operations to curb drug trafficking on land could begin soon.
Last week, the United States seized an oil tanker that had departed Venezuela and announced sanctions against several vessels and companies linked to the country’s oil sector, opening a new front in its pressure campaign.
While the move is expected to further strain Venezuela’s oil-dependent economy, Trump also framed the blockade as a means to restore US access to Venezuelan resources. He claimed the US military presence would continue to grow until Venezuela returns “all of the oil, land, and other assets that they previously stole from us,” without specifying which assets he was referring to. Venezuela nationalised its oil industry in the 1970s, and later governments under Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro expanded state control through the national oil company PDVSA.
US energy major Chevron, which continues to operate in Venezuela under a special sanctions waiver, said its operations remained unaffected and were fully compliant with applicable laws and regulations.
The Venezuelan government strongly condemned Trump’s remarks, accusing him of attempting to “steal the riches that belong to our homeland.” Despite US sanctions, Venezuela has continued exporting oil through informal channels, often at discounted prices, primarily to China.
According to OPEC, Venezuela holds an estimated 303 billion barrels of proven oil reserves—the largest in the world. Analysts warn that a full-scale disruption of oil exports could have severe consequences. “If there are no oil exports, it will affect the foreign exchange market and the country’s imports,” said Elias Ferrer of Orinoco Research. “It could lead not just to a recession, but also shortages of food and medicine.”
The Pentagon has defended the military operation, known as “Southern Spear,” saying it targets drug cartels designated by the Trump administration as foreign terrorist organisations. The US military has carried out strikes against vessels in international waters it claims were involved in drug trafficking, actions that have drawn criticism from human rights experts.
The Trump administration has also designated the alleged Venezuelan group Cartel de los Soles as a terrorist organisation and accused President Maduro of leading it. Citing terrorism, drug smuggling, human trafficking and the alleged theft of US assets, Trump said the Venezuelan government has now been formally labelled a “foreign terrorist organisation.”
