United States President Donald Trump has ordered a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering Venezuela, sharply escalating tensions between Washington and Caracas.

Trump announced the move on Truth Social following the seizure of an oil tanker by U.S. forces off the Venezuelan coast last week. The action comes amid months of heightened military pressure under Operation Southern Spear, a campaign aimed at disrupting drug trafficking routes into the United States.

The president has repeatedly accused Venezuela of using oil revenues to fund drug trafficking and other criminal activities. He vowed to maintain and expand the military buildup in the region until Venezuela returns what he described as oil, land, and other assets, though he did not explain the legal basis for the U.S. claiming ownership of those resources.

“Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the history of South America,” Trump wrote.
“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.”

Venezuela’s government strongly condemned the announcement, accusing Trump of violating international law and the principles of free trade and navigation.


In a statement, the government said Trump was acting irrationally and attempting to seize Venezuela’s natural wealth.

“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 statement read.
“The President of the United States intends to impose a supposed naval blockade on Venezuela with the aim of stealing the wealth that belongs to our nation.”

The U.S. military buildup has coincided with a series of strikes on vessels in international waters across the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. Reports indicate that at least 95 people have been killed in 25 known strikes on boats allegedly linked to drug trafficking.

Trump has suggested 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 U.S. Navy ships and about 12,000 sailors and Marines deployed across the Caribbean. The operation also includes bomber flights near Venezuelan airspace.

Some strikes have drawn international scrutiny. In September, an attack on a vessel linked to a Venezuelan gang killed 11 people in international waters, raising legal concerns. Sources told CNN that UK officials believe several of the strikes violate international law, with 76 deaths reported at the time.

United Nations Human Rights Chief Volker Türk has described the killings as extrajudicial, while the Trump administration maintains that the operations are necessary to prevent drugs from reaching American shores.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has rejected Trump’s claims, insisting that the country’s resources belong solely to Venezuela. The country holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves and produces about one million barrels of oil per day, making petroleum central to its economy.

Since the United States imposed oil sanctions in 2017, Venezuela has relied on unflagged tankers to export crude into global markets. Its state-owned oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA), has been largely shut out of formal international trade and now sells much of its oil at discounted rates, particularly to China.

In October, Trump claimed that Maduro had offered stakes in Venezuela’s oil and mineral wealth 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.

The U.S. Navy currently has 11 ships in the Caribbean, including an aircraft carrier and multiple amphibious assault vessels, supported by helicopters, V-22 Ospreys, and P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, giving the U.S. extensive capacity to monitor and control shipping around Venezuela.