Thursday, December 18, 2025 -President Donald Trump has ordered a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering Venezuela, sharply escalating tensions with the South American nation.
Trump announced the move on Truth Social following the
seizure of an oil tanker by United States forces off the Venezuelan coast last
week. The action comes amid months of rising pressure under Operation Southern
Spear, a military campaign aimed at stopping the flow of illegal drugs into the
United States.
The president has repeatedly accused Venezuela of using oil
revenues to finance drug trafficking and other criminal activities. He has
vowed to continue a military buildup in the region until Venezuela hands over
what he described as oil, land and other assets, though he did not explain the
basis for the United States claiming ownership of those resources.
“Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada
ever assembled in the History of South America,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“It will only get bigger, and the shock to them will be like
nothing they have ever seen before Until such time as they return to the United
States of America all of the Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously
stole from us,” he added.
Venezuela’s government strongly condemned the announcement,
accusing Trump of breaching international law and violating the principles of
free trade and navigation.
In a statement, the Venezuelan government said, “On his
social media, he assumes that Venezuela’s oil, land, and mineral wealth are his
property. Consequently, he demands that Venezuela immediately hand over all its
riches.
“The President of the United States intends to impose, in an
utterly irrational manner, a supposed naval blockade on Venezuela with the aim
of stealing the wealth that belongs to our nation.”
The US military buildup has coincided with a series of
strikes on vessels in international waters across the Caribbean and eastern
Pacific. According to reports, at least 95 people have been killed in 25 known
strikes on boats allegedly linked to drug trafficking.
Trump has indicated in recent weeks that the campaign could
expand beyond maritime operations to include strikes on land.
Operation Southern Spear, ordered by Trump and Defence
Secretary Pete Hegseth, involves nearly a dozen Navy ships and about 12,000
sailors and Marines deployed in the Caribbean. United States forces have also
carried out bomber flights near Venezuelan airspace.
Some of the strikes have drawn scrutiny from US officials
and international observers. In September, an attack on a vessel linked to a
Venezuelan gang left 11 people dead in international waters, raising questions
about its legality. Sources told CNN that United Kingdom officials believe
several of the strikes violate international law, with 76 deaths reported at
the time.
United Nations Human Rights Chief Volker Turk has described
the killings as extrajudicial, while the Trump administration has defended the
operations as effective in preventing drugs from reaching American shores.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has rejected Trump’s
claims, insisting the country’s wealth belongs solely to Venezuela. The country
holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves and produces about one million
barrels of oil per day, with petroleum remaining central to its economy.
Since the United States imposed oil sanctions in 2017,
Venezuela has relied on unflagged tankers to move crude into global markets.
Its state owned oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela SA, has been largely shut
out of international trade and sells much of its oil at discounted rates on the
black market, particularly to China.
In October, Trump suggested that Maduro had offered stakes
in Venezuela’s oil and mineral wealth in an attempt to ease pressure from
Washington.
“He’s offered everything. You know why Because he doesn’t
want to mess around with the United States,” Trump said at the time.
The US Navy currently has 11 ships in the Caribbean,
including an aircraft carrier and multiple amphibious assault vessels. These
ships are supported by helicopters, V 22 Ospreys and P 8 Poseidon maritime
patrol aircraft, giving the military extensive capacity to monitor shipping
traffic around Venezuela
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