U.S. forces surrounding Venezuela are growing after President Donald Trump designated President Nicolas Maduro’s regime as a foreign terrorist organization and ordered a blockade on tankers carrying “sanctioned” oil.

President Trump said the United States wanted to reclaim expropriated oil assets, setting off a nationalist reaction in a country where the resource holds a mythical status.

Trump is continuing to ratchet up pressure on Venezuela, after US military forces seized an oil tanker off the country's coast. What to know.

The US seizure of an oil tanker near Venezuela is not the only point of contention between the two countries. Drugs, oil, sanctions and election disputes are all playing a part in the escalating conflict.

Trump claimed during his Tuesday evening declaration that the Venezuelan officials had stolen the oil in question from the US, writing that Maduro’s government needs to “return to the United States of America all of the Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously stole from us.”

Iran has armed Venezuela with missile boats, drones, and proxy networks. Here’s what that alliance means for U.S. forces and the Caribbean.

In announcing the U.S. had seized an oil tanker off Venezuela on Wednesday, President Donald Trump said of its crude, “We’ll keep it, I guess.”

Trump has frequently accused Venezuela of pouring illegal migrants into the U.S. During his 2024 re-election campaign, Trump regularly told his supporters that Venezuela was “opening up the prisons” and encouraging hardened criminals to flood across America’s borders.

The Venezuelan defense minister has vowed to respond to U.S. "sovereignty" threats as pressure on Caracas mounts.

President Donald Trump has linked his administration’s attacks on drug vessels in Latin America to the fentanyl crisis, among other drugs. Here's what the data shows.

Venezuela may soon have to start closing some oil wells as it runs low on storage capacity following last week’s tanker seizure and US plans to block other sanctioned vessels.