Trump Orders Total Oil Tanker Blockade on Terror-Linked Venezuelan Regime

President Donald Trump on Tuesday ordered what he called "a total and complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela," sharply escalating U.S. pressure on the socialist Nicolás Maduro regime after months of rising confrontations, maritime seizures, and anti-narcotics operations in the region.

Trump announced the decision in a post on Truth Social, saying Venezuela's regime had engaged in "the theft of our Assets" and was tied to "Terrorism, Drug Smuggling, and Human Trafficking," adding that he was designating the regime a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and directing U.S. authorities to halt all sanctioned tanker traffic.

The president's declaration came one week after U.S. forces seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, an operation U.S. officials described as part of an aggressive enforcement push against illicit oil shipments and sanctions evasion networks.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said the seized tanker had been used to transport oil for sanctioned actors linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard and Hezbollah, adding that the vessel was taken under a lawful U.S. warrant and is now subject to forfeiture proceedings under U.S. law.

The tanker seizure marked one of the most visible actions in a steady ramp-up of U.S. pressure on Venezuela over recent weeks and months, as the Trump administration restored a hard-line strategy aimed at cutting off revenue to the Maduro government.

Since early fall, the United States has significantly expanded its naval and Coast Guard presence in the Caribbean, with U.S. Southern Command stating that the buildup is designed to disrupt drug trafficking routes, enforce sanctions, and protect American national security interests.

American forces have also intercepted and destroyed multiple vessels suspected of transporting narcotics in international waters near Venezuela, operations the Pentagon has said are part of a broader campaign against transnational criminal organizations.

Trump administration officials have repeatedly accused senior figures in the Maduro government of working with powerful drug cartels and terror-linked networks, allegations detailed in U.S. indictments and Justice Department filings dating back several years.

The Justice Department has charged multiple Venezuelan officials with narco-terrorism offenses, arguing that drug profits are used to destabilize the region and flood the United States with fentanyl and other deadly narcotics.

Venezuela's government has responded with heated rhetoric, condemning U.S. seizures and patrols as "piracy" and "imperial aggression," while state media in Caracas has threatened diplomatic and economic retaliation.

Supporters of Trump say the blockade reflects long-overdue enforcement of U.S. law and sends a clear message that regimes tied to drugs and terrorism will no longer operate without consequences.

Conservatives have praised the move as consistent with Trump's broader national security agenda, arguing that cutting off illicit oil revenue weakens authoritarian governments and protects American communities from cartel violence.

Critics, including left-leaning activists and some foreign governments, warn that tougher enforcement could raise regional tensions and disrupt energy markets, though Trump allies counter that deterrence and law enforcement must come first.

Bloomberg reported that Trump has framed the blockade as part of a broader escalation, saying Venezuela is "surrounded by the largest armada ever assembled in the history of South America," with U.S. officials signaling that increased naval forces, continued tanker seizures, and expanded interdictions mark a more confrontational phase in the administration's pressure campaign against the Maduro regime.