Trump Issues Order To Blockade Venezuelan Oil Tankers
President Donald J. Trump announced Tuesday that the United States has imposed a sweeping blockade on sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, dramatically escalating pressure on the socialist regime of Nicolás Maduro after months of rising confrontation.
In a forceful statement posted to Truth Social, President Trump made clear the scope and intent of the action.
“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.
The president accused the Maduro regime of exploiting stolen oil assets to fund transnational crime and terrorism.
“The illegitimate Maduro Regime is using Oil from these stolen Oil Fields to finance themselves, Drug Terrorism, Human Trafficking, Murder, and Kidnapping. For the theft of our Assets, and many other reasons, including Terrorism, Drug Smuggling, and Human Trafficking, the Venezuelan Regime has been designated a FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION,” Trump added.
Trump then declared that, effective Wednesday, the United States would enforce a “total and complete blockade” of all oil tankers traveling to or from Venezuela.
“The Illegal Aliens and Criminals that the Maduro Regime has sent into the United States during the weak and inept Biden Administration, are being returned to Venezuela at a rapid pace,” Trump continued. “America will not allow Criminals, Terrorists, or other Countries, to rob, threaten, or harm our Nation and, likewise, will not allow a Hostile Regime to take our Oil, Land, or any other Assets, all of which must be returned to the United States, IMMEDIATELY.”
The announcement follows months of expanded U.S. military operations in the region. In early September 2025, U.S. Southern Command launched Operation Southern Spear, targeting narcotics trafficking routes originating from Venezuelan ports. Since then, more than 20 strikes have reportedly been carried out against vessels suspected of smuggling drugs, resulting in dozens of fatalities.
The military campaign has been paired with the largest U.S. force buildup in the Caribbean since the 1980s. Deployed assets include the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group, seven additional warships, a nuclear submarine, F-35 fighter jets, B-52 bombers, and roughly 10,000 U.S. personnel stationed across Puerto Rico, Florida, and allied locations.
According to Defense Department officials, the buildup—accelerated in August—is aimed at dismantling fentanyl and cocaine trafficking networks feeding the American drug crisis.
The administration’s posture is grounded in federal indictments filed in 2020 charging Maduro and 14 associates with narco-terrorism offenses. U.S. authorities allege Maduro heads the so-called Cartel de los Soles, a criminal network embedded within Venezuela’s military and government that has allegedly partnered with Colombia’s leftist FARC guerrillas to funnel massive cocaine shipments into the United States.
Prosecutors further allege the cartel engages in human smuggling, money laundering, and arms trafficking. The State Department has increased its reward for information leading to Maduro’s capture to $50 million, citing nearly two decades of narcotics trafficking tied to the network.
Earlier this summer, the Treasury Department designated the Cartel de los Soles as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist organization. That designation was reinforced on Nov. 24, when the State Department officially classified the group as a Foreign Terrorist Organization—a label that also applies to affiliated criminal groups, including Tren de Aragua.
Those designations trigger sweeping penalties, including U.S. asset freezes, bans on material support, secondary sanctions on facilitators, and immigration restrictions under federal law.
Despite the escalation, President Trump has signaled he remains open to a negotiated exit for Venezuela’s embattled ruler. During a Nov. 21 phone call with Maduro, Trump reportedly offered safe haven for Maduro and his family if he agreed to step down immediately.
According to the Miami Herald, Maduro instead sought global amnesty and broad sanctions relief—terms the Trump administration flatly rejected.