Trump ‘surrounds’ Venezuela and vows to ‘shock them like nothing seen before’

US President Donald Trump has ordered a blockade of all ‘sanctioned oil tankers’ into Venezuela as tensions with the South American country reach a breaking point.

Taking to Truth Social, Trump’s escalation came after US forces seized an oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast last week.

There have been rumblings of a potential conflict for months now as Operation Southern Spear attempts to stop the flow of drugs into America.

Trump has claimed Venezuela is using oil to fund drug trafficking and other crimes and vowed to continue the military build-up until the country gave the US oil, land and assets, though it was not clear why he felt the US had a claim to the country’s assets.

‘Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America,’ Trump said on Truth Social.

‘It will only get bigger, and the shock to them will be like nothing they have ever seen before – Until such time as they return to the United States of America all of the Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously stole from us.’

Venezuela’s government released a statement accusing Mr Trump of ‘violating international law, free trade, and the principle of free navigation’.

The statement read: ‘On his social media, he assumes that Venezuela’s oil, land, and mineral wealth are his property. Consequently, he demands that Venezuela immediately hand over all its riches.

‘The President of the United States intends to impose, in an utterly irrational manner, a supposed naval blockade on Venezuela with the aim of stealing the wealth that belongs to our nation.’

The US build-up has been accompanied by a series of military strikes on boats in international waters in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.

The campaign, which has drawn bipartisan scrutiny among US officials, has killed at least 95 people in 25 known strikes on vessels.

Trump has said for weeks that the US will move its campaign beyond the water and start strikes on land.

Operation Southern Spear: What has the US military done so far?

Operation Southern Spear, ordered by Trump and Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, is aimed at stopping illegal drugs from entering the United States from South America.

The operation includes nearly a dozen Navy ships and about 12,000 sailors and Marines congregating in the Caribbean, with US forces having conducted bomber flights near Venezuela already.

US forces have carried out multiple fatal strikes targeting boats in Venezuelan waters following claims they were carrying drugs linked to gangs.

In September, a strike against a Venezuelan gang in the Caribbean left 11 people dead in international waters, prompting questions about the legality of the attack.

Sources told CNN that UK officials believe the September strike, and others, violate international law after having killed 76 people so far.

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk went one step further – calling them ‘extrajudicial killing’.

The Trump administration has defended the strikes as a success, saying they have prevented drugs from reaching American shores and pushed back on concerns that they are stretching the bounds of lawful warfare.

What kind of assets does Venezuela have?

Venezuela, which has the world’s largest proven oil reserves and produces about one million barrels a day, has long relied on oil revenue as a lifeblood of its economy.

Since the Trump administration began imposing oil sanctions on Venezuela in 2017, Maduro’s government has relied on a shadowy fleet of unflagged tankers to smuggle crude into global supply chains.

The state-owned oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA) has been locked out of global oil markets by US sanctions, and it sells most of its exports at a steep discount in the black market in China.

In October, Trump appeared to confirm reports that Maduro offered a stake in Venezuela’s oil and other mineral wealth in recent months to try to stave off mounting pressure from the United States.

Trump said at the time: ‘He’s offered everything. You know why? Because he doesn’t want to f*** around with the United States.’

What ships does the US have in the Caribbean right now?

The US Navy has 11 ships, including an aircraft carrier and several amphibious assault ships, in the region.

Those ships carry a wide complement of aircraft, including helicopters and V-22 Ospreys. Additionally, the Navy has been operating a handful of P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft in the region.

All told, those assets provide the military a significant ability to monitor marine traffic coming in and out of the country.

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