U.S. President Donald Trump announced he is initiating an unrestricted naval blockade on all sanctioned oil tankers bound for or departing from Venezuela.
In a lengthy message shared on his Truth Social platform, Trump stated that the administration of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been formally classified as a foreign terrorist organization by the United States. He accused Maduro’s government of a wide range of alleged misconduct, including the theft of American assets and involvement in terrorism, narcotics trafficking, and human smuggling.
Trump wrote that because of these accusations, he was directing an immediate and comprehensive blockade targeting every sanctioned crude oil vessel entering or exiting Venezuelan waters.
The declaration comes shortly after U.S. authorities seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast, a dramatic escalation in tensions between Washington and Caracas. Venezuela’s government responded by denouncing Trump’s actions, calling them a “grotesque threat” and strongly rejecting the blockade.
News Source: bbc
