Trump Orders Major Escalation Against Venezuela

President Donald Trump ordered a total blockade Tuesday of sanctioned oil tankers moving in and out of Venezuela.

Trump announced the sweeping action in a statement accusing the Maduro regime of financing crime and terrorism with what he described as stolen U.S. assets. Trump said the United States has assembled the “largest Armada ever” in South American history to encircle Venezuela, warning that the pressure campaign will intensify until the regime returns oil fields, land, and other assets he claimed were taken from the U.S.

“Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America. 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 of America all of the Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously stole from us,” Trump wrote.

He said that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro uses revenue from those oil fields to bankroll drug trafficking, human trafficking, murder, and kidnapping.

“The illegitimate Maduro Regime is using Oil from these stolen Oil Fields to finance themselves, Drug Terrorism, Human Trafficking, Murder, and Kidnapping. For the theft of our Assets, and many other reasons, including Terrorism, Drug Smuggling, and Human Trafficking, the Venezuelan Regime has been designated a FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION. Therefore, today, I am ordering A TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS going into, and out of, Venezuela.”