President Donald Trump on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, declared Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro government a foreign terrorist organization and ordered a “total and complete” blockade of oil tankers entering or leaving the country.
In a series of posts, Trump accused the “Venezuelan regime” of using stolen U.S. assets to finance terrorism, drug trafficking, and other crimes, and said a large U.S.-led armada was positioned to enforce the directive.
The announcement followed last week’s U.S. seizure of a supertanker off Venezuela’s coast and marks a sharp escalation in Washington’s pressure campaign on Caracas.
What the order says and what is unclear
Trump said all “sanctioned oil tankers” going into or out of Venezuela are subject to interdiction. The White House did not immediately release a formal order detailing scope, legal authority, or rules of engagement.
Reporters from Reuters and the Associated Press noted that the administration framed the move as a maritime enforcement action against sanctions evasion, while also asserting a terrorism designation against the Maduro government.
Legal analysts told major outlets that foreign terrorist organization designations are typically applied to nonstate groups under U.S. law, leaving questions about how a government-wide designation would operate in practice.
The Pentagon did not disclose the number of ships deployed or the exact boundaries of the maritime security zone. Officials said additional material would be released after operational security reviews. Venezuelan authorities condemned the move as a violation of international law and signaled plans to raise the matter with the United Nations.
Tanker “Skipper” seizure and the shadow fleet
The blockade declaration came days after U.S. forces seized the Very Large Crude Carrier Skipper near Venezuelan waters on Wednesday, December 10.
According to reporting by Reuters and CBS News, satellite and port data indicated the Skipper loaded roughly 1.8 million barrels of Venezuela’s Merey crude at the José terminal in early December and transferred about 200,000 barrels near Curaçao to another vessel before the seizure. U.S. officials said the operation was executed under a federal warrant and that the cargo would be retained pending legal proceedings.
Officials and shipping trackers describe the Skipper as part of a “shadow fleet” or “ghost ships” network that moves sanctioned oil by sailing under foreign flags, changing names and ownership through shell companies, disabling transponders to evade tracking, and conducting mid-sea transfers.
Administration officials say they intend to pursue additional vessels engaged in similar practices. Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA has faced widening discounts and stranded cargoes since the seizure, according to energy market coverage.
Markets and potential global impact
Oil prices rose after the Skipper operation and again following the blockade announcement. Energy analysts told wire services that a sustained interdiction campaign could lift benchmark prices by several dollars per barrel, depending on how strictly tanker traffic is constrained and whether Venezuelan exports can be rerouted.
PDVSA’s deliveries have already been complicated by insurance “war clauses,” buyer demands for deeper discounts, and a recent cyber disruption that impacted operations.
Chevron’s joint ventures in Venezuela, which operate under specific U.S. licenses, continued shipping without delays, according to trade sources cited by major outlets. Traders said the broader risk for global supply would hinge on whether the U.S. targets only ships tied to sanctionable trades or imposes a broader maritime exclusion that deters neutral carriers.
