Venezuela slams President Trump’s order to block ships, branding it as warmongering
US President Donald Trump has directed a full blockade on all sanctioned oil tankers traveling to and from Venezuela, a decision Caracas has condemned as a threat of war.
Trump wrote that the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has been designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), which is also involved in “drug trafficking and human trafficking.”
His comments came after the US seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela last week, a significant action given the South American nation’s dependence on oil.
The US has also recently carried out deadly attacks on alleged Venezuelan drug-smuggling boats and has significantly increased its naval presence nearby.
Trump’s post did not provide further details on how the broad blockade of sanctioned oil tankers would be enforced. As of last week, more than 30 of the 80 ships in or near Venezuelan waters were under U.S. sanctions, according to data compiled by TankerTrackers.com.
The seizure of the tanker followed a series of new sanctions imposed by the U.S. on ships carrying Venezuelan oil. Sanctions were also imposed on some of President Maduro’s relatives and businesses associated with what the U.S. considers his illegitimate regime.
In his Truth Social post on Tuesday, Trump wrote that Venezuela was “surrounded by the largest armada in the history of South America,” adding that it would “only get bigger” and be “like nothing they’ve ever seen before.”
Trump also accused Maduro’s government of using “stolen” oil to “finance itself, drug terrorism, human trafficking, murder, and kidnapping.”
The president has repeatedly accused Venezuela of drug trafficking, and since September, the U.S. military has killed at least 90 people in attacks on boats allegedly carrying fentanyl and other illegal drugs to the United States.
However, he has not provided any public evidence that these vessels were carrying drugs, whether fentanyl—which is mostly produced in Mexico—or cocaine. Trump’s post on Tuesday suggests that a label the U.S. previously applied only to Maduro is now being applied to his entire government.
Last month, the US officially designated Venezuela’s Cartel de los Soles group as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). This designation meant that Maduro was effectively also designated a terrorist, as he was accused of being the group’s leader—an accusation he denies.
In response to recent US actions, Venezuela—home to the world’s largest oil reserves—has accused Washington of trying to steal its resources.
Venezuela’s economy is heavily reliant on oil exports, even though it produces significantly less oil than its vast proven reserves would suggest.
Announcing the seizure of a tanker off the Venezuelan coast last week, the White House said the vessel in question, named the Skipper, was involved in “illicit oil shipping” and would be taken to a US port. The Venezuelan government condemned the move, with Maduro claiming the US had “kidnapped the crew” and “stolen” the ship.
For weeks and months leading up to this attack, the US had been increasing its military presence in the Caribbean Sea, which borders Venezuela to the north.
This buildup involved thousands of troops, and the USS Gerald Ford—the world’s largest aircraft carrier—was deployed within striking distance of Venezuela.
Democratic Congressman Joaquin Castro of Texas said that Trump’s “naval blockade is without a doubt an act of war.” He added that US lawmakers would vote on a resolution Thursday that would “direct the president to cease hostilities with Venezuela.”
Under both Trump and former President Joe Biden, the US has opposed the Maduro government for years and has pushed for its removal through harsh sanctions. Maduro’s government has been accused of widespread human rights abuses by the international community for many years.
The Venezuelan opposition, along with several countries including the US, declared last year’s election fraudulent and therefore considered his rule illegitimate. On Tuesday, UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk warned that the country was experiencing a “deepening crackdown on civic space, stifling fundamental freedoms.”
