Editing Openai/69422be7-d6e0-8008-aef1-a42491fae402 (section)

===== President Donald Trump has ordered what he described as a “total and complete blockade” of all ''sanctioned oil tankers'' entering or leaving Venezuela. This was announced via a Truth Social post and confirmed by multiple news outlets. Al Jazeera<ref>{{cite web|title=Al Jazeera|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12/17/trump-orders-total-blockade-of-sanctioned-venezuelan-oil-tankers|publisher=Al Jazeera|date=2025-12-17|access-date=2025-12-19}}</ref> =====

Trump also designated Venezuela’s government or elements of it as a “foreign terrorist organization” and accused it of using oil revenue to support drug trafficking, terrorism, and other crimes. Axios<ref>{{cite web|title=Axios|url=https://www.axios.com/2025/12/17/trump-venezuela-oil-blockade-maduro-regime-terrorist-designation|publisher=axios.com|date=2025-12-17|access-date=2025-12-19}}</ref>

According to reports:
* The blockade specifically targets “sanctioned” oil tankers, not all maritime traffic. AP News<ref>{{cite web|title=AP News|url=https://apnews.com/article/trump-venezuela-maduro-oil-tankers-625a7c9a3106e316c97ceb68a42a1cb5|publisher=AP News|access-date=2025-12-19}}</ref>
* U.S. officials are claiming this is part of pressure on Nicolás Maduro and his government. Fox News<ref>{{cite web|title=Fox News|url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-declares-venezuelan-regime-foreign-terrorist-organization-orders-oil-tanker-blockade|publisher=Fox News|access-date=2025-12-19}}</ref>
* The measure comes amid an increased U.S. military presence in the Caribbean region, including warships and other assets. Reuters<ref>{{cite web|title=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/trump-orders-blockade-sanctioned-oil-tankers-leaving-entering-venezuela-2025-12-16/|publisher=reuters.com|access-date=2025-12-19}}</ref>