Overview
- The U.S. Treasury announced sanctions on four companies tied to Venezuela’s oil sector and identified four oil tankers as blocked property.
- Officials said some of the vessels are part of a worldwide “shadow fleet” that facilitates sanctionable activity and helps generate revenue for Nicolás Maduro’s government.
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the United States will not allow the Maduro regime to profit from oil exports while it “floods the United States with deadly drugs.”
- The department warned that actors involved in the Venezuelan oil trade continue to face significant sanctions risks under the administration’s pressure campaign.
- Separately, President Trump claimed on Truth Social that tariffs have driven record investment into the United States and that U.S.-made goods face no tariffs, a claim reported without independent verification.