In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, on Tuesday evening, Trump said Venezuela was “completely surrounded by the largest armada ever assembled in the history of South America.”
By Asaye Bankole
United States President Donald Trump has ordered “a total and complete” blockade of all oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela that are under U.S. sanctions.
In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, on Tuesday evening, Trump said Venezuela was “completely surrounded by the largest armada ever assembled in the history of South America.”
“For the theft of our assets and for many other reasons, including terrorism, drug smuggling and human trafficking, the Venezuelan regime has been designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization,” Trump said.
“Therefore, today I am ordering a total and complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela,” he added.
In response, the Venezuelan government issued a statement rejecting what it described as Trump’s “grotesque threat.”
“The President of the United States intends, in a completely irrational manner, to impose a so-called naval blockade on Venezuela with the aim of stealing the wealth that belongs to our homeland,” the statement said.
Earlier, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said “the world will rise up against piracy and oil plunder” following what he described as the U.S. administration’s “theft” last week of a tanker carrying Venezuelan crude oil, according to Agencia Venezuela News.
U.S. forces reportedly seized the oil tanker Skipper off the coast of Venezuela and took it to the U.S. state of Texas, where its oil cargo was unloaded.
U.S. Congressman Joaquin Castro, a Democrat from Texas, said Trump’s blockade was “clearly an act of war.”
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