![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/venezuela-tanker-seizure_7107055.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Share<\/p>\n
\n Last week: Watch dramatic US tanker seizure unfold\n <\/p>\n
Meanwhile, there’s been a steady build up of US forces in the region, effectively placing Venezuela under embargo.<\/p>\n
“Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America,” US President Donald Trump<\/a> said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n “It will only get bigger, and the shock to them will be like nothing they have ever seen before.”<\/p>\n In his post on social media, the president also branded the regime of Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro<\/a> as “illegitimate” and a “foreign terrorist organisation”.<\/p>\n Image: Image: He continued: “Therefore, today, I am ordering A TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS going into, and out of, Venezuela.”<\/p>\n Since the Skipper was seized, vessels carrying millions of barrels of oil have been staying put in Venezuelan waters, fearing that the US will intercept them.<\/p>\n Spotify<\/p>\n This content is provided by Spotify, which may be using cookies and other technologies. Unfortunately we have been unable to verify if you have consented to Spotify cookies. Enable Cookies<\/a> \ud83d\udc49 Follow Trump100 on your podcast app \ud83d\udc48 <\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Some of these are considered to be part of a “shadow fleet” – vessels that use concealing tactics to transport goods for sanctioned countries like Russia, Iran, and Venezuela.<\/p>\n More than 70 oil tankers in Venezuelan waters this week are part of the so-called shadow fleet, with some 38 sanctioned by the US Treasury, according to data from TankerTrackers.com.<\/p>\n Read more: President Trump has been ramping up pressure on the Maduro regime, accusing it of involvement in the drugs trade.<\/p>\n As part of his efforts, he has also authorised deadly strikes against vessels he claims are trafficking drugs in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.<\/p>\n President Maduro claims Mr Trump is trying to overthrow him with a view to seizing Venezuela’s oil reserves.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The US has seized another tanker off the coast of Venezuela, according to American officials. The ongoing operation…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":202535,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-202534","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202534","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=202534"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202534\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/202535"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=202534"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=202534"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=202534"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Mr](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/skynews-maduro-flores_7108068.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n Mr Maduro says the US is trying to seize Venezuela’s oil reserves. Pic: Reuters<\/p>\n![\"Mr](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/skynews-trump-white-house_7113560.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n Mr Trump branded the Venezuelan leader ‘illegitimate’. Pic: Reuters<\/p>\n
\n To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies.
\n You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable Spotify cookies or to allow those cookies just once.
\n You can change your settings at any time via the Privacy Options<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\n To view this content you can use the button below to allow Spotify cookies for this session only.<\/p>\n
\n Allow Cookies Once<\/a><\/p>\n
US says eight ‘narco-terrorists’ killed in three boat strikes<\/a>
Maduro’s ‘narco nephews’ hit with sanctions<\/a><\/p>\n