President Trump Labels Venezuelan Government A “Terrorist Organization,” Orders Oil Tanker Blockade
on Dec 16, 2025
President Trump Declares Venezuelan Government A “Terrorist Organization”
President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday (December 16), a full blockade of oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela, designating the Nicolás Maduro government as a foreign terrorist organization.
The administration said the move targets the regime’s use of stolen U.S. assets and oil revenues to finance terrorism, drug trafficking, and other criminal activity.
“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.”
🚨 TRUMP: “Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America… I am ordering A TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS going into, and out of, Venezuela.”
— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) December 16, 2025
Omg. pic.twitter.com/62NnwikZX7
“For the theft of our Assets, and many other reasons, including Terrorism, Drug Smuggling, and Human Trafficking, the Venezuelan Regime has been designated a FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION,” he said.
🇺🇸🇻🇪 TRUMP ON VENEZUELA: “THESE BOATS ARE A DIRECT MILITARY THREAT TO AMERICA – WE'RE GOING TO START HITTING THEM ON LAND”
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) December 15, 2025
Trump says drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean are being taken out, and warned they’re not just trafficking narcotics, but waging a form of warfare on… pic.twitter.com/49jmIDF7ko
Last week, President Trump announced that U.S. authorities had seized the oil tanker “Skipper” off Venezuela’s coast, marking a sharp escalation in tensions with the country. Attorney General Pam Bondi said the vessel was allegedly transporting oil from Venezuela and Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions.
“We’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela. Large tanker, very large. Largest one ever seized action. And, other things are happening. So you’ll be seeing that later. And you’ll be talking about that later with some other people,” Trump said at the White House at the time. “It was seized for a very good reason.”
Since September, the U.S. military has conducted multiple strikes on boats suspected of drug trafficking near Venezuela as part of President Trump’s effort to halt the flow of drugs into the United States.
