US President Donald Trump has said he is ordering a total and complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers going into and out of Venezuela.
In a post on Truth Social, he said Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro's government had been designated a foreign terrorist organisation and accused it of stealing US assets, as well as Terrorism, Drug Smuggling, and Human Trafficking.
Therefore, today, I am ordering A TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS going into, and out of, Venezuela, he added.
His remarks came a week after the US seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. Venezuela has not yet responded to Trump's latest remarks.
In his post, Trump claimed Venezuela was completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America.
He added that it will only get bigger and will be like nothing they have ever seen before.
Trump also accused Maduro's government of using stolen oil to finance themselves, Drug Terrorism, Human Trafficking, Murder, and Kidnapping.
The Trump administration has repeatedly accused Venezuela of drug smuggling, and since September the US military has killed at least 90 people in strikes on boats it alleged were carrying fentanyl and other illegal drugs to the US.
In recent months, the US has also moved warships into the region.
Venezuela - home to some of the world's largest proven oil reserves - has accused Washington of seeking to steal its resources.
The US, under both Trump and former President Joe Biden, has opposed the Maduro government for years, pressing for him to be removed by instituting stringent sanctions.
Last week, the US imposed fresh sanctions on six more ships it said were carrying Venezuelan oil, along with sanctions on some of President Maduro's relatives and businesses associated with what the US calls his illegitimate regime.
A day earlier, the US seized a tanker off Venezuela's coast, claiming it was involved in illicit oil shipping and would be taken to an American port.
Venezuela's government denounced the seizure, with Maduro claiming the US kidnapped the crew and stole the ship.
The US had built up its military presence in the Caribbean Sea, which borders Venezuela to the north, in the days before the raid, involving thousands of troops and positioning the USS Gerald Ford - the world's largest aircraft carrier - within striking distance of Venezuela.
