Trump Announces Blockade on Venezuelan Oil Tankers

U.S. President Donald Trump has escalated pressure on the Venezuelan government by ordering a ‘total and complete blockade’ of all sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving the country. He warned that the military presence would continue to grow unless Venezuela returned assets he claimed were stolen from the U.S. This follows a recent U.S. military action at sea where American forces seized a sanctioned oil tanker allegedly involved in an oil smuggling network funding Iran’s military.