August M
The Trump administration has sharply escalated its confrontation with Venezuela, announcing a sweeping naval move that could disrupt global oil markets and heighten tensions in the Caribbean. The decision places fresh pressure on President Nicolás Maduro while raising questions about enforcement and legality.
The order signals a more aggressive phase in Washington’s campaign against Caracas.
Blockade declared
In a social media post on Tuesday night, Donald Trump announced what he called “A TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS going into, and out of, Venezuela.”
Trump alleged that Venezuela was using oil revenues to fund drug trafficking and other criminal activity, and vowed to expand US military power in the region.
Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest armada ever assembled in the history of South America,’ he wrote on Truth Social, adding that ‘the shock to them will be like nothing they have ever seen before,’ reports the Guardian
Military pressure
According to the Guardian, the blockade follows weeks of heightened US military activity near Venezuela, including the deployment of thousands of troops and nearly a dozen warships, among them an aircraft carrier.
Last week, US forces seized an oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast that was believed to be carrying about 2m barrels of crude, the New York Times reported. Venezuela’s government accused Washington of “blatant theft” and described the seizure as “an act of international piracy.”
It remains unclear how the administration plans to enforce the blockade or whether the US Coast Guard will play a central role.
Caracas response
Speaking earlier on Tuesday, Maduro accused Washington of imperial ambitions. “Imperialism and the fascist right want to colonize Venezuela to take over its wealth of oil, gas, gold, among other minerals,” he said, adding that Venezuela had sworn “absolutely to defend our homeland.”
Venezuela’s government later rejected Trump’s order as a ‘grotesque threat,’ Reuters reported, warning that the US president intended to impose a naval blockade ‘in an utterly irrational manner,’
Market impact
Oil traders said prices were edging higher amid fears of reduced Venezuelan exports, though markets remain well supplied for now. Analysts said a prolonged disruption of nearly a million barrels a day could push prices up further.
Operational disruptions at Venezuela’s state oil company have further constrained exports in recent days, according to people familiar with the situation.
Sources: The Guardian, Reuters, New York Times
