(The Guardian) President Donald Trump said he is ordering a full blockade on all sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela.
“The illegitimate Maduro Regime is using Oil from these stolen Oil Fields to finance themselves, Drug Terrorism, Human Trafficking, Murder, and Kidnapping. For the theft of our Assets, and many other reasons, including Terrorism, Drug Smuggling, and Human Trafficking, the Venezuelan Regime has been designated a FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION,” reads the post on Truth Social.
He added: “I am ordering A TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS going into, and out of, Venezuela.”
The blockade on oil tankers coming in and out of Venezuela is the latest development in Donald Trump’s monthslong campaign against Nicolás Maduro.
Last Wednesday, the US seized the Skipper oil tanker that was traveling across the Caribbean carrying Venezuelan crude. The tanker was thought to be loaded with about 2m barrels of Venezuela’s heavy crude, according to the New York Times. The Venezuelan government accused the US of “blatant theft” and described the seizure as “an act of international piracy”, further heightening tensions between the two countries.
On Tuesday, the Pentagon said it had carried out strikes on three boats it accused of trafficking drugs in the Pacific Ocean, killing eight people. Since 2 September, at least 95 people have been killed in more than 20 separate strikes, most off the coast of Venezuela.
Several lawmakers have called on the administration to release video footage showing a 2 September attack, but defense secretary Pete Hegseth has refused to do so, calling the video “top secret” and claiming that releasing the video to the public violates “longstanding Department of War policy.”
Experts have also debated whether the air campaign is legal.
“The illegitimate Maduro Regime is using Oil from these stolen Oil Fields to finance themselves, Drug Terrorism, Human Trafficking, Murder, and Kidnapping. For the theft of our Assets, and many other reasons, including Terrorism, Drug Smuggling, and Human Trafficking, the Venezuelan Regime has been designated a FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION,” reads the post on Truth Social.
He added: “I am ordering A TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS going into, and out of, Venezuela.”
The blockade on oil tankers coming in and out of Venezuela is the latest development in Donald Trump’s monthslong campaign against Nicolás Maduro.
Last Wednesday, the US seized the Skipper oil tanker that was traveling across the Caribbean carrying Venezuelan crude. The tanker was thought to be loaded with about 2m barrels of Venezuela’s heavy crude, according to the New York Times. The Venezuelan government accused the US of “blatant theft” and described the seizure as “an act of international piracy”, further heightening tensions between the two countries.
On Tuesday, the Pentagon said it had carried out strikes on three boats it accused of trafficking drugs in the Pacific Ocean, killing eight people. Since 2 September, at least 95 people have been killed in more than 20 separate strikes, most off the coast of Venezuela.
Several lawmakers have called on the administration to release video footage showing a 2 September attack, but defense secretary Pete Hegseth has refused to do so, calling the video “top secret” and claiming that releasing the video to the public violates “longstanding Department of War policy.”
Experts have also debated whether the air campaign is legal.
