Trump Labels Maduro Regime Terrorist Group, Orders Oil Tanker Blockade

 

 

President Donald Trump on Tuesday escalated pressure on Venezuela by formally designating President Nicolás Maduro’s government a foreign terrorist organization and ordering a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving the country.

 

In a series of posts on Truth Social, Trump said he had directed a “total and complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers going into, and out of, Venezuela,” framing the move as retaliation for what he described as the theft of U.S. assets and the regime’s involvement in terrorism, drug smuggling, and human trafficking.

 

Trump claimed Venezuela is now “completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the history of South America,” warning that U.S. military pressure would intensify unless Caracas returns “all of the Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously stole from us.”

“The illegitimate Maduro Regime is using Oil from these stolen Oil Fields to finance themselves, Drug Terrorism, Human Trafficking, Murder, and Kidnapping,” Trump wrote.

 

The announcement follows the recent U.S. seizure of an oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast that officials said was transporting sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran. Trump has indicated the United States intends to retain the seized oil. In recent weeks, the administration has also expanded sanctions targeting Maduro’s family members and Venezuelan-linked businesses.

 

The move comes amid a visible U.S. military buildup in the region. The Pentagon has deployed the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and its carrier strike group to the Caribbean, while U.S. Air Force B-1 Lancer bombers have conducted flights near Venezuelan airspace. The administration has also carried out strikes against alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean, operations that have drawn scrutiny from Congress due to reported civilian casualties.

 

Trump has repeatedly threatened land-based strikes inside Venezuela but has not yet authorized them. Administration officials insist the campaign is focused on disrupting narcotics trafficking networks. However, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles told Vanity Fair that the strategy is designed to relentlessly pressure Maduro until he capitulates.

 

“We’re going to keep blowing boats up until Maduro cries uncle,” Wiles said.

 

Key Takeaways

• Trump has designated the Maduro government a foreign terrorist organization and ordered a blockade of sanctioned Venezuelan oil shipments.

• The U.S. has expanded military deployments in the Caribbean, raising concerns about possible escalation toward direct conflict.

• The administration says the campaign targets drug trafficking, but critics warn it risks triggering a broader regional crisis.

 

SOURCE:  THE HILL

 

 

Oh wow, big tough Trump, lets see how far that blockade goes when China brings their navy in to escort the oil tankers. Always bullying a little defenseless country around, but now the reason is to deflect from the Epstein issues he will be facing.

Maduro should probably update his resume. 

 

This year, China has been the destination of between 55% and 90% of Venezuela's monthly oil exports, compared with 40%-60% last year. In November, the country exported 952,000 barrels per day of oil, of which 778,000 bpd went to China, according to ship monitoring data

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/iraq-war-2-0-sen-ruben-gallego-compares-trump-s-venezuela-escalation-to-past-conflict/vi-AA1Surqd?ocid=socialshare

 

 

Tucker Carlson claims Trump will declare war on Venezuela tonight ahead of address to the nation

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15393611/venezuela-trump-address-nation-oval-office-war.html

So they are openly admitting now it was never about drug boats.

16 hours ago, sharot724 said:

Oh wow, big tough Trump, lets see how far that blockade goes when China brings their navy in to escort the oil tankers. Always bullying a little defenseless country around, but now the reason is to deflect from the Epstein issues he will be facing.

China won't do that, they wouldn't want to get openly involved.

Did I miss Venezuela committing piracy on the high sees and engaging in the extrajudicial killing of people in international waters?

 

3 hours ago, stevenl said:

China won't do that, they wouldn't want to get openly involved.

Perhaps not, but just as the U.S. sends warships into the S.China Sea to assert freedom of navigation, China too has the right to do so in the seas around Venezuela.

 

This...👇

 

 

 

On 12/17/2025 at 12:51 PM, Social Media said:

 ... framing the move as retaliation for what he described as the theft of U.S. assets ...

Not knowing much about these "thefts", I asked AI to explain.

 

1. Nationalization of Oil Assets 

Trump and his advisors, including Stephen Miller, argue that American "sweat and ingenuity" built Venezuela’s oil infrastructure, and its subsequent seizure was "theft". 

• The 1970s: Venezuela first began nationalizing its petroleum industry while it was a U.S. ally.
• The 2000s: Under Hugo Chávez, Venezuela seized major projects from American firms like ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips. International tribunals eventually ordered Venezuela to pay billions in compensation (e.g., $1.6 billion to ExxonMobil in 2014), which Trump claims has never been fully paid. 

 

6 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Perhaps not, but just as the U.S. sends warships into the S.China Sea to assert freedom of navigation, China too has the right to do so in the seas around Venezuela.

 

True, but they won't. There interests are elsewhere.