WASHINGTON, Dec 16 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday ordered a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, adding that he now regarded the nation’s rulers as a foreign terrorist organization.
“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Therefore, today, I am ordering A TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS going into, and out of, Venezuela.”
Trump’s comments came a week after the U.S. seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, the latest step in a pressure campaign on the government of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, who Trump has blamed for drugs entering the U.S.
The Venezuelan communications ministry, which handles all press requests for the government, did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Maduro, speaking at an event on Tuesday evening before Trump’s post, said, “Imperialism and the fascist right want to colonize Venezuela to take over its wealth of oil, gas, gold, among other minerals. We have sworn absolutely to defend our homeland and in Venezuela peace will triumph.”
Trump’s campaign has included a ramped-up military presence in the region and more than two dozen military strikes on vessels in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea near Venezuela, which have killed at least 90 people.
Trump has also said that U.S. land strikes on the South American country will soon start.
(Reporting by Jasper Ward in Washington, additional reporting by Julia Symmes Cobb; editing by Scott Malone)
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