To war?
Trump Calls Venezuela a "Foreign Terrorist Organization"
The Trump Administration has spent weeks targeting Venezuelan assets in international waters. The fight saw a big escalation yesterday, with the Maduro regime declared a terrorist organization and Venezuela blockaded.
President Donald Trump ordered a sweeping blockade of oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela on Tuesday, sharply escalating US pressure on the government of President Nicolás Maduro as the President officially declared the regime a foreign terrorist organization.
In a series of statements, Trump accused the Maduro government of using oil revenues from what he described as stolen US assets to finance terrorism, drug trafficking, human trafficking, and other criminal activity. “The illegitimate Maduro Regime is using oil from these stolen oil fields to finance themselves, drug terrorism, human trafficking, murder, and kidnapping,” Trump said, announcing what he called a “total and complete blockade” of sanctioned oil tankers linked to Venezuela.
Trump said the United States has deployed a major naval presence off Venezuela’s coast to enforce the order, warning that vessels attempting to move sanctioned oil would be intercepted. He also linked the action to broader immigration enforcement, claiming migrants sent to the US during the Biden administration were now being returned to Venezuela.
The White House confirmed Wednesday that US authorities had seized an oil tanker named the Skipper off the Venezuelan coast. Attorney General Pam Bondi said the vessel was allegedly transporting sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran, marking a significant escalation in enforcement. Administration officials said the tanker was part of a vast network of so-called “ghost ships” used to move oil from sanctioned states while evading detection.
According to US officials, these vessels routinely sail under foreign flags, change names and ownership through shell companies, disable tracking transponders, and conduct ship-to-ship transfers at sea to obscure their cargo. The Skipper was reportedly carrying up to 1.8 million barrels of oil earlier this month and had transferred roughly 200,000 barrels shortly before its seizure. Based on current prices, the oil could be worth between $60 million and $100 million.
The blockade follows Trump’s earlier decision to designate major drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and forms part of a broader strategy to reassert US dominance in the Western Hemisphere. Since September, the US military has carried out more than 20 strikes on suspected narcotrafficking vessels near Venezuela, killing dozens, according to administration figures.
The move has raised concerns about potential disruptions to global energy markets, particularly if enforcement expands beyond individual seizures to sustained naval interdictions. Analysts warn the standoff could drive volatility in oil prices while further isolating Venezuela, which holds some of the world’s largest proven oil reserves.
The Maduro government has not yet issued a formal response.