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Trump Orders Total Blockade of Venezuelan Oil, Escalating Tensions
President Trump announces “total and complete” blockade of all US-sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers, prompting Caracas to decry it as theft and piracy. US lawmakers debate potential act of war.
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by Muhammad Hashir
2025-12-17
Trump Orders Total Blockade of Venezuelan Oil, Escalating Tensions

United States President Donald Trump has announced a “total and complete” blockade on all US-sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, escalating tensions between the two countries amid mounting military deployments off the South American nation’s coast.

In a post on his social media platform Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump described Venezuela as “completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America.” He cited the designation of the Venezuelan regime as a foreign terrorist organization, accusing it of “theft of assets, terrorism, drug smuggling, and human trafficking” as justification for the blockade.

The Venezuelan government responded with strong condemnation, rejecting Trump’s “grotesque threat” and accusing the United States of attempting to seize the nation’s resources. President Nicolas Maduro labeled the blockade as “piracy and oil plunder,” warning that the international community would rise against such acts.

The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed concern over the escalating tensions, noting that the situation could have “unpredictable consequences” for the West.

The blockade follows the US seizure of the oil tanker Skipper off the Venezuelan coast, which was reportedly brought to Texas for its oil cargo to be unloaded. US Democrat Congressman Joaquin Castro described the action as “unquestionably an act of war,” stating that Congress had not authorized military hostilities and urging lawmakers to vote on a resolution to end hostilities with Venezuela.

The Venezuelan UN representative, Samuel Moncada, has formally raised the issue at the UN Security Council, denouncing the seizure of the tanker and the alleged “kidnapping” of its crew as acts of state piracy and theft of Venezuela’s assets.

Experts note that the US military has conducted operations off Venezuela’s coast since September, killing at least 90 people in attacks on vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific, claiming they were involved in drug trafficking. Venezuelan officials have consistently denied these claims, arguing the US is using drug enforcement as a pretext for oil seizure and regime change.

The country, which holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves, has been under strict US sanctions on its oil exports since Trump’s first administration, further exacerbating its economic crisis. Only tankers operated under Chevron joint ventures with PDVSA have been allowed to export oil to the US.

This latest blockade and the militarization of Venezuelan waters signal a sharp escalation in US-Venezuela tensions, raising concerns about potential regional instability and the legality of unilateral military actions on international waters.
Tagged:

VenezuelaCrisis

TrumpBlockade

OilPolitics

USVenezuela
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