https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/trump-orders-blockade-sanctioned-oil-tankers-leaving-entering-venezuela-2025-12-16/WASHINGTON, Dec 16 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday ordered a "blockade" of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, a move set to sharply escalate tensions between Washington and Caracas as he targets Venezuela's main source of income.It is unclear how the Trump administration will impose the blockade against the sanctioned vessels, and whether he will turn to the Coast Guard to interdict vessels like he did last week. The administration has moved thousands of troops and nearly a dozen warships - including an aircraft carrier - to the region in recent months."For the theft of our Assets, and many other reasons, including Terrorism, Drug Smuggling, and Human Trafficking, the Venezuelan Regime has been designated a FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Therefore, today, I am ordering A TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS going into, and out of, Venezuela."U.S. crude futures climbed over 1% to $55.96 a barrel in Asian trading after Trump's announcement. Oil prices settled at $55.27 a barrel on Tuesday, the lowest close since February 2021.Oil market participants said prices were rising in anticipation of a potential reduction in Venezuelan exports, although they were still waiting to see how Trump’s blockade would be enforced and whether it would extend to include non-sanctioned vessels."We don’t know how much or how quickly Trump will enforce this," said Rory Johnston, founder of oil markets-focused newsletter Commodity Context.There has been an effective embargo in place after the U.S. seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela last week, with loaded vessels carrying millions of barrels of oil staying in Venezuelan waters rather than risk seizure.
Since the seizure, Venezuelan crude exports have fallen sharply, a situation worsened by a cyberattack that knocked down state-run PDVSA's administrative systems this week.While many vessels picking up oil in Venezuela are under sanctions, others transporting the country's oil and crude from Iran and Russia have not been sanctioned, and some companies, particularly the U.S.' Chevron (CVX.N), opens new tab, transport Venezuelan oil in their own authorized ships.For now, the oil market is well supplied and there are millions of barrels of oil on tankers off the coast of China waiting to offload. If the embargo stays in place for some time, then the loss of nearly a million barrels a day of crude supply is likely to push oil prices higher.The Pentagon and Coast Guard referred questions to the White House.The Venezuelan communications ministry, which handles all press requests for the government, did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
>WMDs, wars for oil, "terrorism"The right is partying like it's 2002!
>>1466384remember when they said they were different from neocons
Doesn’t the US government have to vote on this kind of thing
>>1466395No. They can, but IIRC they made voting for it optional to fight terrorists in the ME to protect our greatest ally's stolen land.
>>1466368Isn't this considered an act of war?
>>1466384Reminder, not that anyone ever bothered to learn in the first place, that the US did NOT get more Iraqi oil from the 2003 war, and in fact it began sending a lot more oil to India and China rather than mostly to Europe (this is the real reason why France was so upset, they knew the war would kill the Oil for Food program that was giving them cheap oil in exchange for not actually doing much of the 'food' part). The war was for the DoD budget and contractors, and of course the complex arrogance of the Neocons expecting an easy win.
>>1466395Theoretically yes, but over the years Congress has given more and more leeway to the President to just do whatever.
>>1466419This, also to kick-start the police state we're in right now.Palantir may seem like a new company but it's been spun out of the MIC demon that was spawned in the wake of 9/11. Effectively a gold rush of contracts dedicated to killing and enslaving the American people because little Bobby Junior wanted to prove himself a big man to his old dada who failed to take Iraq in his prime. Now both sides have secret courts with secret laws governing trials and AI powered cameras everywhere, complete and actual affronts to the 4th amendment in every definition if you're not a coke-brained Rethuglickunt Judge. Doubtful we'll get anything from this retarded invasion either other than more debt and more draconian laws.
>>1466368>>1466368>I HEREBY DECLARE PRESIDENTS PROTECTING THIS COUNTRY FROM TERRORISTS ARE IMMUNE TO EPSTEIN FILE RELEASES
>>1466368>"blockade" of all sanctioned oil tankersWho gives a fuckThey are sanctioned
>>1466384Iraq was not about oil, they bombed a middle income country with the best electric grid in the region into a developing country. The war did not benefit the USA but Iraq's regional rivals.
>>1466431The president performing an act of war with zero congressional approval?
>>1466435When is the last time Congress voted to declare war? WW2?
>>1466436Yeah. The US has basically been declaring illegal wars since WWII.
>>1466368>sanctioned...So which ships are sanctioned? Any oil tanker doing business in Venezuela, or is this a more specific category?
>>1466384I miss W. Bush now… It’s midnight in America!
>>1466551I don't. It proves obama was a total pussy for not prosecuting him for war crimes. If democrats had balls to prosecutor republicans for their crimes, we wouldn't be in this mess.
>>1466446>As of last week, more than 30 of the 80 ships in Venezuelan waters or approaching the country were under US sanctions, according to data compiled by TankerTrackers.com.https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g562vz34roThey've got a nice ghost fleet.
>>1466368NOT THE SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS!!1!
>>1466554>If democrats had balls to prosecutor republicans for their crimesDemocrats were "prosecutoring" Republicans the entire time they were last in office.
>>1466556Bet little baldy here would be screaming, shidding, and pissing if China started blockading oil tankers coming into whatever little shithole he lives in.
>>1466560kek, they let almost every one go without as much as a trial. They brought up charges just to drop them. The real serious crimes they had evidence for they would ignore because they were the kind of crimes Corporate Dems want to get away with (the insider trading, running multiple side-hustles, rampant cronyism, bribery disguised as lobbying, selling out multiple political policies to foreign entities like Israel, misusing fundraisers for tax evasion, etc) while hyper-focusing on shit that was only *sort of* illegal sense like the documents at Mar-a-largo that was such a weak case that it's doubtful anything would have come of it, literally 'but her emails' but for corporate dems. Democrats just have no spines, balls, and are guilty of every single thing Orange Man is guilty of.
>>1466567So wild for you to talk about corporate corruption and act like it is only democrats. The mags republicans have made billions in the last year including Trump. They are selling us to Saudi Arabia and snatching up every lucrative government contract to their rich maga business friends. The most corrupt money grab in history… 2 trillion in national debt added in 1 year…but yea watch out for those democrats and their scams.
>>1466567>Democrats just have no spines, balls, and are guilty of every single thing Orange Man is guilty of.So both sides are bad, but you should vote republican?Why are you shills so badly programmed?
>>1466570>and act like it is only democratsWho do you think enabled Epstein all this time? Do you even know who Bill Clinton was before he became president? Who he killed and what he did?
>>1466571So ironic, we ask you about your zealotry to Trump while criticizing democrats for things Trump does and you bring up Epstein? Trump’s best friend? The man said he was his best friend and “likes em young” Trump was president when Epstein was arrested and his DOJ gave him a sweetheart deal.Your willful ignorance is wild.
>>1466578>Your willful ignorance is wild.>he doesn't know about the Boys on the Tracks>he doesn't know who died after Hillary's emails were published on wikileaks>he doesn't know what the Clinton foundation does in africaBrainlet.
>>1466606>control of three branches of government and still the old wild allegations and no charges emerging, ever
Donald Trump is two months older than Bill Clinton.He is clearly not fit for office.
>>1466560LOLOLOLOLOLOLYou're fucking delusional.If Biden wasn't a limp dick pussy, he would have prioritized prosecuting trump and every conservative who took part in his coup.And it's not that hard, Brazil suffered through a similar coup attempt and they wasted no time prosecuting everyone involved, both the political and business leadership of it. Either way trump is now going to get a bunch of people killed when he declares war on Venezuela to cover up the fact he's a pedophile now.
>>1466569>>1466570democrats have objectively done worstya i'll vote for the side that isn't made of obnoxious hypocrites karens and domestic terrorists tyvm.>>1466578ahh yes a democrat in hollywood is friends with another democrat in showbiz. what a travesty i'm sure you'll be just as outraged about bill gates being on the epstein list /s
>>1466620the political procecutions had no standing anonI get you're a mentally ill pissbaby who wants the world to go your way but reality has rules.
>>1466637Stop projecting, trump committed sedition with his coup. In a decently run country he'd be rotting in prison with all his co-conspirators.
>>1466652>committed sedition>coupdidn't happen anon, i get you're mentally deficient but you probably didn't even bother to see what he actually tweetedIn a decently run country you'd be in prison alongside all the far-left political agitator.we wouldn't have victims like charlie kirk because people like you would be institutionalized and euthanized.
>>1466664you're never going to be american
>>1466664You can lie all you want, but it was a coup.
