Overview
- President Donald Trump announced the order on Truth Social, saying Venezuela is "completely surrounded" by a growing U.S. naval force and claiming his administration designated the Maduro government a foreign terrorist organization.
- Days earlier, U.S. forces seized the sanctioned tanker Skipper near Venezuela under a U.S. court order, transferring the vessel and its cargo of Venezuelan crude.
- Washington also imposed sanctions on six oil-transport companies and six tankers, intensifying efforts to disrupt logistics that move Venezuelan crude.
- U.S. Southern Command reported lethal strikes on three vessels in the Eastern Pacific that left eight dead, asserting the boats were on narcotrafficking routes as rights groups question the publicly presented evidence.
- Caracas denounced the actions as piracy while Mexico, Brazil and the U.N. called for de-escalation, and analysts warned exports could fall sharply even as Chevron's licensed operations continue.