Overview
- President Trump ordered a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela, with U.S. forces already seizing a sanctioned vessel near its coast and deploying roughly a dozen warships including an aircraft carrier.
- Oil exports from Venezuela have been disrupted as loaded tankers wait to avoid seizure, though Washington has not detailed how the blockade will be enforced across sanctioned and non‑sanctioned ships.
- The Treasury added 29 vessels and their managers tied to Iran’s shadow fleet to U.S. sanctions, part of a campaign that has designated more than 180 Iran‑linked tankers since Trump returned to office.
- Congress passed a $901 billion FY2026 defense bill that funds Ukraine and Baltic security, sets a floor for U.S. troop levels in Europe, repeals old Iraq war authorizations, and removes Caesar‑era sanctions on Syria.
- A separate executive order expands a full U.S. entry ban to citizens of Syria, South Sudan, Niger, Mali, Sierra Leone, Laos and Burkina Faso as well as holders of Palestinian Authority passports, effective January 1, 2026, with partial adjustments for other countries.