Trump orders total blockade of sanctioned oil tankers to and from Venezuela

U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he has ordered a total blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers traveling to and from Venezuela, escalating a months-long pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, reported Xinhua.

"Today, I am ordering a total and complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers going into, and out of, Venezuela," Trump said in a post on his social media Truth Social.

Trump also said that the Venezuelan government has been designated "a foreign terrorist organization," accusing it of involvement in crimes including terrorism, drug smuggling and human trafficking.

Claiming that the United States "will not allow a hostile regime to take our oil, land, or any other assets," he demanded that Venezuela return to the United States all assets he said "that they previously stole from us."

Meanwhile, Venezuela on Tuesday denounced the U.S. threat of a total blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers traveling to and from the country, calling the move a violation of international law and vowing to raise the issue before the United Nations.

In a statement, the Venezuelan government said U.S. President Donald Trump had issued what it called a "grave and reckless threat" against the country, claiming that it violated international law, free trade and freedom of navigation.

Trump claimed Venezuela's oil, land and mineral resources as U.S. property and demanded their immediate surrender, while seeking to impose a naval blockade aimed at "robbing the nation of its natural wealth," it added.

Venezuela reaffirmed its sovereignty over its natural resources and its right to free navigation and commerce in the Caribbean Sea and international waters, it said, adding that it would act in strict accordance with the UN Charter and international law.

In response to the threat, Venezuela's permanent representative to the United Nations would immediately file a formal complaint.

Calling on the U.S. public and the international community to reject the threat, the statement said Venezuela would never return to a colonial status and would continue defending its independence and sovereignty.