White House Orders US Military to Enforce Quarantine on Venezuelan Oil
The White House has ordered the US military to enforce a two-month quarantine on Venezuelan oil as part of a policy aimed at pressuring President Nicolás Maduro through economic sanctions. While military options remain possible, the primary focus is on sanctions to compel Venezuela to return oil, land, and other assets previously seized.
This directive follows former President Trump's prior order to blockade oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela. The US has since built a substantial military presence in the Caribbean region, including more than 15,000 troops, an aircraft carrier, 11 additional warships, and over a dozen F-35 jets.
In recent developments, the US Coast Guard has intercepted two fully loaded Venezuelan crude oil tankers this month and is actively pursuing a third. At an emergency UN Security Council meeting, US ambassador Mike Waltz described the sanctioned oil tankers as the primary economic lifeline of Maduro's regime.
Maduro, however, alleges that the US aims to overthrow his government to seize the country's oil. His UN ambassador has accused the US of acting outside both international and domestic law, questioning the legality of seizing nearly four million barrels of Venezuelan oil.
