President Donald Trump has ordered a total and complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, escalating pressure on Nicolás Maduro's government. The move comes amid an increased US military presence in the region, including warships and an aircraft carrier, and follows the seizure of a tanker carrying approximately two million barrels of Venezuelan crude oil last week.
The Venezuelan government condemned the blockade as a 'grotesque threat' and accused the US of 'blatant theft' and 'international piracy'. Maduro vowed to defend the country's oil wealth, stating that imperialism and the fascist right seek to colonise Venezuela. Texas congressman Joaquin Castro called the blockade an 'unquestionably an act of war' that Congress never authorised.
Trump announced the blockade on social media, claiming Venezuela uses oil to fund drug trafficking and other crimes. He asserted that Venezuela is surrounded by the largest armada ever assembled in the history of South America. It remains unclear how the blockade will be enforced, though the US Coast Guard interdicted a sanctioned tanker last week.
Since the seizure, Venezuelan crude exports have fallen sharply, exacerbated by a cyberattack on the state-run oil company PDVSA. Many oil tankers are avoiding Venezuelan waters to prevent seizure. Oil market participants expect prices to rise if the blockade persists, due to the potential loss of nearly one million barrels per day of crude supply, though the market is currently well supplied with oil waiting off the coast of China.
The US has conducted over 20 military strikes off Venezuela's coast since 2 September, killing at least 95 people. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth refused to release video footage of a 2 September attack, citing its 'top secret' classification.
