Trump Orders 'Total and Complete Blockade' of Sanctioned Venezuelan Oil Tankers, Escalating Pressure on Maduro

President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he has ordered a "TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE" of sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, intensifying U.S. pressure on President Nicolás Maduro by targeting Caracas’s primary economic lifeline.

What Trump Said

Posting on Truth Social and capitalizing the phrase, Trump highlighted a large U.S. military presence in the region, suggested additional forces could be deployed, and urged Venezuela to return what he described as "Oil, Land, and other Assets" taken from the United States.

"Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America. 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," Trump wrote.

Context And Recent Actions

The announcement follows U.S. actions earlier this year that tightened sanctions on Venezuela’s oil sector and last week’s seizure of a tanker carrying Venezuelan crude. Combined with repeated threats of land strikes, the blockade targets the industry that funds Maduro’s government.

The U.S. has imposed sanctions on Venezuela intermittently since 2005. The Trump administration in 2019 effectively blocked PDVSA’s ability to export crude to the United States. The Biden administration in 2022 granted Chevron a narrow permit to operate in Venezuela to help ease fuel prices; after Trump returned to office he revoked and later reissued that license with the condition that proceeds not benefit the Maduro government.

Oil Industry And Economic Impact

State-owned Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) controls the country’s petroleum sector. Venezuela holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves, but production remains far below capacity due to years of mismanagement and international sanctions. Much of Venezuela’s oil is exported to China. Houston-based Chevron is currently the only U.S. company operating in Venezuela under a limited sanctions carve-out.

Responses And Legal Questions

Venezuela denounced the blockade as "a reckless and serious threat," accusing the U.S. of seeking to seize the nation’s wealth. The government said it will take the matter immediately to the United Nations and called the move an unlawful attack on its sovereignty.

Blockades are often treated as acts of war under international law. A 1961 U.S. Justice Department memorandum, written during tensions with Cuba, noted that while a president may institute a blockade, such a measure is a belligerent act typically justified only if a state of war, legal or de facto, exists.

Security Operations

The U.S. has carried out strikes against vessels suspected of involvement in the narcotics trade in the Caribbean. While U.S. officials have framed recent operations primarily as counter-narcotics efforts, some reporting has suggested the broader aim is to increase pressure on Maduro to step aside.

Official Reaction In Caracas

Speaking on state television before the announcement, President Maduro praised Venezuelan resilience and said the country had spent weeks denouncing and confronting what it described as "multidimensional aggression." Venezuelan officials vowed to defend the homeland and to bring their case to international bodies.

This article has been updated with contributions from CNN reporters David Goldman, Brad Lendon, Jose Alvarez and Lex Harvey.