President Trump on Tuesday called for a “total and complete blockade” of all sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela as the administration pressures Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro at sea – and leaves the door open to ground strikes.
“Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest armada ever assembled in the history of South America,” the president wrote on his Facebook page. Truth Social. “It will only increase, and the shock to them will be unlike anything they have ever seen before – until they return to the United States of America all the oil, land and other assets they previously stole from us.”
CBS News has reached out to the Pentagon for comment.
Last week the US military seized a sanctioned 20-year-old oil tanker who had just left a port in Venezuela, sources told CBS News. Armed personnel arrived in helicopters and boarded the vessel, which was authorized by the US Treasury three years ago for his alleged role in an oil smuggling network that helped finance the Iranian army and its proxies in the region.
Trump's announcement Tuesday night suggested further withdrawals were possible.
This is a developing story; it will be updated.
