'Largest Armada Ever': Trump Moves to Choke Off Venezuela’s Oil Exports

US President Donald Trump announced a sharp escalation of pressure on Venezuela, ordering what he described as a “total and complete blockade” of all sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving the country. The decision, unveiled in a statement posted on his Truth Social platform, targets Venezuela’s main economic lifeline and marks one of the most aggressive steps taken by Washington against the government of President Nicolás Maduro.

Trump accused Caracas of using oil revenues to finance drug trafficking, human smuggling, murder and kidnappings. He said Venezuela had been designated a “foreign terrorist organisation” and claimed that migrants and criminals allegedly sent to the United States during the previous administration were now being returned to Venezuela “at a rapid pace”. According to Trump, the blockade would remain in effect until what he called stolen US assets, including oil, land and other resources, were handed back.

The US president also claimed that Venezuela is now surrounded by the largest naval force ever assembled in South America, warning that military pressure would only intensify. The announcement followed repeated threats of possible land strikes on Venezuelan territory and came shortly after US forces seized an oil tanker carrying Venezuelan crude in the Caribbean. Caracas condemned that seizure as “international piracy” and “blatant theft”.

The blockade is part of a broader campaign that has included an expanded US military presence in the region. In recent months, American forces have carried out more than two dozen strikes on vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific near Venezuela, killing dozens of people, according to publicly available reports. The Pentagon declined to comment directly on Trump’s announcement, referring questions to the White House.

Venezuela’s government rejected the blockade order, calling it an irrational and grotesque threat aimed at stealing the country’s natural wealth. Speaking before Trump’s post, President Maduro said Venezuela had withstood what he described as weeks of “multidimensional aggression”, ranging from psychological pressure to attacks on oil shipments, and vowed that the country would defend its sovereignty. The government accused Washington of seeking to recolonize Venezuela to gain control over its oil, gas and mineral resources.

International reaction in the United States was mixed. Democratic Congressman Joaquin Castro described the blockade as an act of war that had not been authorised by Congress and was unwanted by the American public. Oil market participants, meanwhile, reported rising prices amid expectations that Venezuelan exports could fall further, although uncertainty remains over how the blockade will be enforced and whether it will apply only to sanctioned vessels.

Venezuela’s oil sector has already been weakened by years of sanctions and underinvestment. The state-owned company PDVSA has been effectively excluded from global oil markets, relying heavily on discounted sales, mainly to China, often through opaque shipping networks. Roughly 80 percent of Venezuela’s exports go to China, while a smaller share reaches the United States through Chevron, the only US energy company still operating in the country under a restricted sanctions waiver.

US sanctions on Venezuela date back to 2005 and were significantly tightened during Trump’s first term, when PDVSA was barred from exporting crude to the US. The Biden administration later granted Chevron a limited licence in 2022 to help stabilise global fuel prices. Trump revoked that licence earlier this year and then reinstated it under strict conditions that prevent proceeds from benefiting the Maduro government.

Despite holding the world’s largest proven oil reserves, Venezuela produces far below its potential. Trump has repeatedly said the United States should regain access to Venezuelan energy resources if Maduro is removed from power. Senior administration figures have suggested that the current military and economic pressure campaign is intended not only to curb drug trafficking, but also to force political change in Caracas.

While Trump insists the blockade targets only sanctioned tankers, it remains unclear how the US will implement it in practice. The US Navy currently has significant assets in the region, including warships, aircraft and maritime patrol capabilities, giving Washington the means to monitor and intercept shipping routes linked to Venezuela.