President Donald Trump announced late Tuesday he had ordered a “A TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS going into, and out of, Venezuela”—an escalation of the Trump Administration’s military pressure campaign on the South American country.

Along with the blockade, Trump said he has formally designated Venezuela's Maduro and his government allies a foreign terrorist organization.

President Donald Trump ramped up pressure on Venezuela on Tuesday by announcing that he is ordering a blockade of all “sanctioned oil tankers ” entering and leaving the South American country.

Oil prices surged Wednesday, jumping off multi-year lows after President Donald Trump ordered a “total and complete blockade” of oil tankers into and out of Venezuela.

In December 2025, the U.S. did seize an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela — just not the one shown in viral posts.

Venezuela's state-run oil company PDVSA has been subject to a cyberattack, it said on Monday, adding its operations were unaffected, even though four sources said systems remained down and oil cargo deliveries were suspended.