Trump Orders Naval Blockade of Venezuela, Claims ‘Largest Armada in South American History’
United States President Donald Trump has ordered a naval blockade targeting all sanctioned oil tankers entering Venezuela, sharply escalating tensions between Washington and the South American nation.
Trump announced the move on his Truth Social platform following the seizure of an oil tanker by US forces off the Venezuelan coast last week. The action forms part of Operation Southern Spear, a military campaign that has intensified in recent months and is officially aimed at disrupting illegal drug trafficking into the United States.
According to the US president, Venezuela has allegedly used oil revenues to finance drug trafficking and other criminal activities. Trump said the military buildup around the country would continue until Venezuela hands over what he described as oil, land and other assets, though he did not explain the basis for the United States’ claim to those resources.
“Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest armada ever assembled in the history of South America,” Trump wrote. “It will only get bigger, and the shock to them will be like nothing they have ever seen before, until such time as they return to the United States all of the oil, land and other assets that they previously stole from us.”
The Venezuelan government strongly condemned the announcement, accusing Trump of violating international law and breaching principles of free trade and freedom of navigation.
In a statement, Caracas said the US president was laying claim to Venezuela’s natural resources and attempting to impose an “irrational” naval blockade aimed at stripping the country of its wealth.
“The President of the United States intends to impose a supposed naval blockade on Venezuela with the aim of stealing the wealth that belongs to our nation,” the statement said.
The military escalation has coincided with a series of strikes on vessels in international waters across the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. Reports indicate that at least 95 people have been killed in 25 known strikes on boats allegedly linked to drug trafficking.
Trump has also signalled that the campaign could expand beyond maritime operations to include strikes on land.
Operation Southern Spear, authorised by Trump and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, involves nearly a dozen US Navy ships and about 12,000 sailors and Marines deployed across the Caribbean. The US military has also conducted bomber flights close to Venezuelan airspace.
Some operations have drawn international scrutiny. A September strike on a vessel linked to a Venezuelan gang killed 11 people in international waters, raising legal concerns. Sources cited by CNN said UK officials believe several of the strikes violate international law. United Nations Human Rights Chief Volker Turk has described the killings as extrajudicial.
The Trump administration, however, has defended the operations, insisting they are effective in preventing drugs from reaching US shores.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has rejected Trump’s claims, maintaining that the country’s natural resources belong solely to Venezuela. The country holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves and produces about one million barrels of oil daily, with petroleum remaining central to its economy.
Since US oil sanctions were imposed in 2017, Venezuela has relied on unflagged tankers to move crude into global markets. Its state-owned oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela SA, has been largely excluded from international trade and sells much of its oil at discounted rates, particularly to China.
In October, Trump claimed that Maduro had offered stakes in Venezuela’s oil and mineral wealth in an attempt to ease pressure from Washington, a claim the Venezuelan government has not acknowledged.
The US Navy currently has 11 ships in the Caribbean, including an aircraft carrier and multiple amphibious assault vessels, supported by helicopters, V-22 Ospreys and P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, giving the US extensive surveillance capability around Venezuela.
