Trump has ordered what he called a "total and complete" blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela, sharply escalating United States pressure on President Nicolás Maduro and raising fears of a wider confrontation.
Announcing the move on social media, Trump accused Venezuela of using oil revenues to fund drug trafficking and other crimes, and vowed to expand the United States military presence in the region. The order follows last week's seizure by United States forces of an oil tanker off Venezuela's coast, an incident Caracas denounced as "international piracy".
"Grotesque threat" and "unquestionably an act of war"
Venezuela's government condemned the blockade as a "grotesque threat" and an act of aggression, while Democratic Congressman Joaquin Castro described it as "unquestionably an act of war" that Congress has not authorized.
It remains unclear how the blockade would be enforced, though the United States has recently deployed thousands of troops and multiple warships, including an aircraft carrier, to the region. Oil markets reacted cautiously, with prices edging higher amid concerns that Venezuelan exports could be further disrupted.
The move marks the latest step in Trump's increasingly aggressive campaign against Maduro, which United States officials have linked not only to drug enforcement but also to efforts to force Venezuela's leader from power.
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