US President Donald Trump has ordered a complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers heading to or leaving Venezuelan territorial waters. This is reported by UNN with reference to the American leader's page on the social network Truth Social, and the agency Reuters.
Details
Trump announced the decision on Tuesday, December 16, stating that the current Venezuelan government is now considered a "foreign terrorist organization" by the United States.
The US President accused Venezuela of stealing American assets, including oil and land.
Therefore, today I am ordering a full and total blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and exiting Venezuela.
In his post, he emphasized that "Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest armada ever assembled in the history of South America."
It will only grow, and the shock to them will be like nothing they have ever experienced before - until they return to the United States of America all the oil, land, and other assets they previously stole from us.
The president's statement came a week after the US seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. This was another step in the campaign of pressure on the government of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, whom Trump accuses of facilitating drug supplies to the US.
Venezuela's Ministry of Information has not yet commented on Washington's actions. At the same time, Maduro, during a speech on Tuesday evening, stated that "imperialism and the far right seek to colonize Venezuela to seize its oil, gas, and gold," and added that the country "will defend its sovereignty and peace."
According to Reuters, Trump's campaign also included an increased US military presence in the region and more than twenty strikes on vessels in the Pacific and Caribbean near Venezuela, which killed at least 90 people. Trump also stated that US ground strikes on Venezuelan territory could begin soon.
Recall
It was previously reported that the US plans to intercept more vessels with Venezuelan oil after the seizure of a tanker this week. This increases pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.