Trump orders ‘total blockade’ of sanctioned oil tankers to and from Venezuela

US President Donald Trump has ordered a “total and complete blockade” of all sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela, directly targeting Caracas’ main source of revenue.

Announcing the move on Tuesday, Trump said Venezuela’s leadership had been designated a “foreign terrorist organization,” accusing it of, what he called, asset theft, terrorism, drug smuggling, and human trafficking.

Writing on his Truth Social media platform, the US chief executive said the designation justified a full blockade of sanctioned vessels transporting Venezuelan crude.

The announcement immediately reverberated through energy markets, with US crude futures climbing more than 1% in Asian trading.

Oil prices had earlier settled at their lowest level since February 2021, underscoring the sensitivity of markets to potential disruptions in Venezuelan supply.

While the White House has not detailed how the blockade would be enforced, the order follows last week’s seizure of an oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast.

Since then, an effective embargo has already taken shape, with loaded tankers remaining in Venezuelan waters rather than risk interception.

The Trump administration has also moved thousands of troops and nearly a dozen warships, including an aircraft carrier, into the region.

Venezuela’s government swiftly rejected Trump’s “grotesque threat.”

President Nicolas Maduro has repeatedly condemned Washington for seeking to overthrow his government and seize control of the OPEC member’s vast oil reserves, the largest proven crude reserves in the world.

Legal and political questions have emerged as far back as in Washington, itself.

International law experts have noted that blockades are traditionally considered acts associated with war and subject to strict legal conditions.

US Representative Joaquin Castro, a Texas Democrat, called the move “unquestionably an act of war,” arguing it lacked congressional authorization.

The impact on Venezuela’s oil sector has already been severe. Exports have fallen sharply since the tanker seizure, a decline compounded this week by a cyberattack that disrupted the administrative systems of state-run oil company PDVSA.

Industry data have shown that more than 30 of the roughly 80 vessels recently in Venezuelan waters or approaching its ports are currently sanctioned.

The blockade order, meanwhile, comes amid heightened military tensions stoked by Washington.

Trump’s campaign against Maduro has included a growing US military presence and dozens of strikes on vessels near Venezuela in recent months.

The Venezuelan head of state, speaking earlier on Tuesday, had warned that “imperialism and the fascist right” were seeking to colonize Venezuela and exploit its natural wealth, vowing that the country would defend itself and that peace would prevail.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.ir