Washington, 17 December (H.S.):

President Donald Trump announced Tuesday a total and complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela, designating the Nicolás Maduro regime a foreign terrorist organization amid an unprecedented U.S. naval buildup in the Caribbean.

In a fiery Truth Social post, Trump claimed Venezuela's oil revenues fund drug terrorism, human trafficking, and other crimes, demanding the return of stolen U.S. oil fields, land, and assets while vowing to expand the largest Armada ever assembled in the history of South America.

The escalation follows U.S. forces seizing a Venezuelan oil tanker last week and conducting over 25 military strikes on suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, which have killed at least 95 people and drawn bipartisan scrutiny in Congress for potentially exceeding lawful warfare bounds.

The U.S. Navy now deploys 11 warships—including an aircraft carrier, amphibious assault ships, P-8 Poseidon patrol planes, helicopters, and V-22 Ospreys—to enforce the blockade and monitor Venezuela's 1 million barrels-per-day production, 80% of which flows to China via shadowy, discounted black-market channels.

Trump's chief of staff Susie Wiles confirmed the campaign aims to force Maduro's ouster, stating the president intends to keep on blowing boats up until Maduro cries uncle.

Venezuela's state oil firm PDVSA, locked out of global markets since 2017 sanctions, relies on unflagged shadow fleet tankers for survival, with experts estimating 850,000 barrels daily exported—primarily to China (80%), the U.S. via Chevron (15-17%), and Cuba.

Maduro dismissed the moves as piracy and psychological terrorism on state television Tuesday, praising his nation's resilience after 25 weeks of U.S. aggression and pledging to defend every inch of sovereign territory.

The foreign terrorist organization label—previously applied to non-state actors like the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps—expands U.S. tools against Maduro allies, building on November's designation of the Cartel de los Soles as a terrorist entity tied to regime drug-running.

Pentagon officials deferred questions to the White House, while Venezuelan officials decried Trump's demands as an irrational bid to plunder the nation's vast proven oil reserves, the world's largest.

The move risks broader regional tensions, with Trinidad and Tobago aligning U.S. radar installations against drug threats, as Trump signals potential land strikes if maritime pressure fails.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar