Trump Declares Total Blockade, Brands Venezuelan Regime a Terrorist Organization
In a dramatic escalation of tensions, President Donald Trump has declared the government of Nicolás Maduro a Foreign Terrorist Organization and ordered a “total and complete blockade” of all sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela. Announced via Truth Social, Trump framed the move as a response to what he alleges is the Maduro regime’s use of stolen U.S. oil fields to finance terrorism, drug trafficking, and human smuggling. “Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America,” Trump stated, demanding the immediate return of “all of the Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously stole from us.” The declaration significantly raises the stakes in a long-running confrontation, directly tying Venezuela’s energy exports to national security and terrorism.
The policy shift follows the U.S. seizure of the oil tanker “Skipper” off the Venezuelan coast—a vessel officials describe as part of a global “ghost ship” armada that uses flag-swapping and transponder-disabling tactics to clandestinely move sanctioned oil. Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed the seizure, alleging the tanker was transporting illicit oil from Venezuela and Iran. With the captured cargo estimated to be worth up to $100 million, the blockade order signals a new front in Trump’s pressure campaign, which has already included over twenty military strikes on suspected drug-trafficking boats near Venezuela since September. The unprecedented naval mobilization and terrorist designation mark a hardline strategy aimed not just at curbing illicit flows but at compelling the outright ouster of the Maduro regime, a move that threatens to further roil global energy markets and regional stability.
