Trump orders blockade of sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers, tightens pressure on maduro

US President Donald Trump has announced a “total and complete blockade” of oil tankers that are under US sanctions entering or leaving Venezuela, a move aimed at cutting off revenue to President Nicolás Maduro’s government while stopping short of a blanket ban on all Venezuelan oil exports.

In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump claimed that Venezuela is being encircled by the largest US naval deployment ever seen in South America, with around a dozen American warships, including an aircraft carrier, positioned roughly 50 to 100 miles off the Venezuelan coast to enforce the action.

However, US officials and analysts have clarified that the blockade applies only to oil tankers that are already sanctioned by the United States, not to all vessels carrying Venezuelan crude. Oil exports routed through non-sanctioned vessels or operations operating under valid US licences are not automatically prohibited under this order.

The measure is intended to target Venezuela’s so-called “shadow fleet” ships accused of helping the Maduro regime evade sanctions and secretly ship oil abroad. According to publicly available sanctions data, at least six oil tankers were newly added to the US sanctions list in recent days, while several dozen vessels linked to Venezuela’s oil trade are already under US restrictions and could be affected by enforcement actions at sea.

Trump said the action was taken in response to what he described as the “illegal expropriation” of oil projects belonging to US energy giants ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips, dating back to the late 2000s, as well as longstanding US accusations that the Maduro government benefits from drug trafficking and terrorism-linked financing.

Supporters of the move, including several Republican lawmakers, said the blockade would choke off a critical source of income for the Maduro administration and increase pressure for political change in Caracas. Critics, however, warned that a naval blockade amounts to an act of war under international law unless authorised by Congress or the United Nations, raising concerns about escalation in the region.

Global oil markets reacted swiftly, with crude prices rising more than 2 per cent, as traders weighed the risk of supply disruptions from one of the world’s largest proven oil reserves.

While the White House has not released operational details, analysts say the distinction between sanctioned and non-sanctioned vessels will be crucial in determining the scope, legality and real-world impact of the blockade.