"Donald Trump's announcement of a "total and complete blockade" of sanctioned oil tankers travelling to and from Venezuela has raised questions about the economic consequences for the regime of leftist president Nicolas Maduro. Trump has made oil a central target in his ongoing campaign against Maduro, which was sparked by the US president's claims that Maduro was to blame for the illegal flow of both migrants and drugs to the US from Venezuela."
"In a Truth Social post on Tuesday (Dec. 16), Trump said Venezuela "is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America" before saying he was ordering the blockade. Since late August, the US has been setting up a major naval build-up across the Caribbean Sea one of the largest US naval deployments in the region since the so-calledCuban missile crisisin 1962."
"How a blockade will work A naval blockade is a military operation where warships encircle a specific coastline with a view to prevent maritime traffic from entering or leaving. Trump's threat specifies "all sanctioned oil tankers going into, and out of, Venezuela." Last week, US forces seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. US Attorney General Pam Bondi said the tanker had been transporting sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran. Caracas decried the seizure as an act of "international piracy.""
A 'total and complete blockade' of sanctioned oil tankers travelling to and from Venezuela was declared, raising questions about economic consequences for Nicolas Maduro's regime. Oil is central to the fragile Venezuelan economy, making interdiction potentially significant for Caracas. A major US naval build-up across the Caribbean since late August includes aircraft carriers, guided-missile destroyers and amphibious assault ships. The blockade declaration refers specifically to all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela. US forces recently seized a tanker alleged to be carrying sanctioned Venezuelan and Iranian oil, which Venezuela called international piracy. Russia, China and Iran have offered lifelines to Venezuela, complicating pressure efforts.
Read at www.dw.com
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