The US Treasury has announced sanctions on four companies and their tankers accused of transporting Venezuelan oil, part of an intensified pressure campaign against President Nicolas Maduro. The Treasury described a "shadow fleet" used to evade sanctions and generate revenue for what Washington calls a "narco-terrorist" regime. The measures come amid recent tanker seizures, military operations in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, and separate sanctions on a company accused of assembling Iran-designed drones. Critics warn the actions aim to topple Maduro and seize Venezuela's oil reserves.
US Broadens Sanctions on Tankers Tied to Venezuelan Oil, Escalating Pressure on Maduro
An oil tanker is seen anchored at a dock in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela [File: Jesus Vargas/Getty]
The US Department of the Treasury announced a new round of sanctions intended to further isolate Venezuela's oil sector as part of President Donald Trump’s intensified campaign of pressure against the Maduro government.
Sanctions and Targets
Released on Wednesday, the measures target four companies and the oil tankers linked to them. The Treasury named the vessels alleged to be involved in transporting Venezuelan crude as the Nord Star, Rosalind, Valiant and Della, saying they form part of a "shadow fleet" used to evade sanctions and to generate revenue for what Washington calls "Maduro’s illegitimate narco-terrorist regime."
"Maduro’s regime increasingly depends on a shadow fleet of worldwide vessels to facilitate sanctionable activity, including sanctions evasion, and to generate revenue for its destabilizing operations," the Treasury said.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reiterated the administration's stance: "We will not allow the illegitimate Maduro regime to profit from exporting oil while it floods the United States with deadly drugs." He said the Treasury would continue to implement the president’s pressure campaign on Maduro’s government.
Recent Related Actions
The sanctions follow a separate US action announced the previous day against a Venezuelan company the administration says assembled drones designed in Iran. In recent weeks the administration has also seized at least two tankers — the Skipper on December 10 and a second tanker 10 days later — and US forces are reportedly tracking a third tanker across the Atlantic.
Military Operations And Criticism
The measures come amid an increased US military presence in the Caribbean. Since early September, US forces have conducted dozens of strikes against vessels accused of drug smuggling in international waters of the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific. Human rights groups have criticised those operations as extrajudicial and say more than 100 people have died; critics argue the administration has given limited legal justification for the strikes.
On Monday, President Trump said US forces struck a "dock area" in Venezuela that he alleged was used to load drug-smuggling boats. US media widely reported the operation was carried out by the Central Intelligence Agency, though the administration has not publicly confirmed the agency responsible.
Political Context And Reactions
Critics of the administration contend that Washington’s actions aim to unseat President Nicolas Maduro and secure access to Venezuela’s vast oil reserves. Those suspicions were inflamed by comments from senior advisers. On December 17, senior adviser Stephen Miller claimed the US "created the oil industry in Venezuela" and argued that nationalizations beginning in 1976 effectively took oil that, he said, belonged to the United States. President Trump echoed similar rhetoric online, saying the US "will not allow a Hostile Regime to take our Oil, Land, or any other Assets" and demanding that assets be returned.
Despite the pressure, one major US oil company, Chevron, continues to operate in Venezuela under existing licenses.
What To Watch
Observers will be watching whether the sanctions and military pressure further degrade Venezuela’s oil exports, how international shipping and insurers respond to labeling vessels as part of a "shadow fleet," and whether legal or diplomatic challenges arise from targeted seizures and strikes.
