US President Donald Trump announced Tuesday he is ordering a naval blockade against all “sanctioned oil tankers” approaching Venezuela, dramatically escalating pressure on the country’s leader Nicolás Maduro, reported the Associated Press.
The move follows last week’s US seizure of an oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast amid an expanding military presence in the region.
In a post on Truth Social Tuesday night, Trump accused Venezuela of using oil profits to fund drug trafficking and other crimes, vowing to intensify the ongoing military buildup.
“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.”
The operation has coincided with a wave of US military strikes on boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. According to reports, at least 95 people have been killed in 25 known strikes conducted in international waters. The campaign has drawn bipartisan scrutiny in Washington over its legality and scope.
The Trump administration has defended the strikes, calling them an effective deterrent against drug smuggling. Officials argue the campaign has prevented narcotics from reaching US shores while rejecting claims that it stretches the limits of lawful warfare.