In an escalation following last week's U.S. seizure of a large oil tanker off Venezuela's coast for sanctions violations, President Donald Trump ordered a blockade Tuesday of all sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving the country, intensifying pressure on Nicolás Maduro's government. Trump demanded Venezuela return 'stolen' U.S. oil, land, and assets, while Venezuelan officials condemned the move as a violation of international law.
US President Donald Trump announced Tuesday a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers into and out of Venezuela, tightening the economic squeeze on Nicolás Maduro's regime amid ongoing sanctions enforcement.
The order builds on last week's U.S. operation, in which forces seized a crude oil tanker carrying sanctioned Venezuelan and Iranian oil linked to drug trafficking and terrorism-supporting networks. Trump, in a social media post, claimed Venezuela is 'completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America' and vowed further military build-up '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.'
Pentagon officials directed questions to the White House.
Venezuela's government responded with a statement accusing Trump of breaching international law, free trade, and navigation rights with a 'reckless and grave threat' to the nation.