President Donald Trump announced a “total and complete blockade” on all sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela, escalating U.S. pressure on President Nicolás Maduro’s regime.

In a Truth Social post, Trump accused Venezuela’s “illegitimate” government of using oil to fund “drug terrorism, human trafficking, murder, and kidnapping,” and designated it a foreign terrorist organization. 

It remains unclear how many vessels will be targeted by the blockade. The move follows the U.S. seizure of a sanctioned tanker linked to an Iranian-Venezuelan oil smuggling network off Venezuela’s coast.

A day after seizing the Guyana-flagged Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) Skipper, the U.S. announced fresh sanctions targeting shadow fleet tankers trading with Venezuela. 

The sanctions target six VLCCs and their affiliated entities, including White Crane, a 2007-built VLCC owned in the Marshall Islands and flagged in Panama; Kiara M, a 2004-built Panama-flagged VLCC currently loaded with Venezuelan crude and en route to Asia; H. Constance, a 2002-built VLCC owned in China and flagged in Panama; Lattafa, a 2003-built VLCC owned in China and flagged in Panama; Tamia, a 2006-built VLCC owned in the UK and flagged in Hong Kong; and Monique, a 2005-built VLCC owned in the Marshall Islands and flagged in the Cook Islands.

Several hours before the U.S. Treasury Department unveiled the new sanctions, Reuters  reported that U.S. forces are planning additional tanker seizures off Venezuela.

When asked to confirm whether the Trump administration planned further ship seizures, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said she would not comment on future actions but stressed that the U.S. would continue enforcing the president’s sanctions policies.

“We’re not going to stand by and watch sanctioned vessels sail the seas with black market oil, the proceeds of which will fuel narcoterrorism of rogue and illegitimate regimes around the world,” she said.