Venezuela's Oil Trade Survives Amid Maduro's Pledge and Trump's Blockade

Venezuela's Stance on Oil Trade Amid U.S. Pressure

Venezuela will continue to trade oil, according to President Nicolas Maduro, in response to recent statements from former U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump had previously threatened to impose a blockade on all sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving the country. In his statement, Maduro emphasized that trade would continue and that the country's natural resources belong to its people.

“Trade in and out will continue — our oil and all our natural wealth that by the constitution and Bolivar's legacy belongs — our wealth, our land, and our oil — to its only legitimate owner, which for centuries and centuries has been our sovereign people of Venezuela, the absolute owner of the land, subsoil and all its wealth,” Maduro stated, originally in Spanish.

Maduro suggested that Trump’s actions are aimed at regime change in Venezuela. “This will just not happen, never, never, never — Venezuela will never be a colony of anything or anyone, never,” he said.

U.S. Military Actions and International Reactions

The U.S. military has conducted three additional alleged drug boat strikes in the Pacific, resulting in the deaths of eight individuals. These actions have raised concerns about the increasing militarization of the region. Meanwhile, the situation between the U.S. and Venezuela continues to escalate.

Maduro's comments followed Trump's announcement of a "blockade" of sanctioned oil tankers going into or out of Venezuela, intensifying American pressure on Maduro's regime. In a lengthy post on his social media platform, Trump claimed that Venezuela is surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in South America history. He stated that this force would grow larger, with the potential to cause significant impact on Venezuela.

“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 wrote.

It remains unclear what specific stolen oil and land Trump was referring to. ABC News has reached out to the White House for comment. However, under Maduro's predecessor, Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan government expropriated assets from some American oil companies after nationalizing oil fields in 2007.

Legal and Political Implications

In his post, Trump announced a "total and complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers going into, and out of, Venezuela" and demanded the return of oil and assets. The Venezuelan government responded to Trump's declaration, calling it a "reckless and serious threat" against the country, which it claims violates international law, free trade, and freedom of navigation.

"The President of the United States intends to impose in an absolutely irrational manner, a supposed naval military blockade on Venezuela with the objective of stealing the wealth that belongs to our homeland," the Venezuelan government said in a statement.

The government also indicated that its ambassador to the United Nations will proceed to denounce this serious violation of international law against Venezuela. It called on “the people of the world to reject” Trump’s announcement.

Venezuela possesses the largest known oil reserves in the world, with oil exports being the primary source of revenue for the government. Despite the U.S. having 11 warships in the Caribbean — the most in decades — it is unlikely that this military presence would be sufficient to implement a traditional blockade, which involves sealing a country's coastline completely and would effectively constitute a declaration of war.

Escalation of Sanctions and Seizures

Trump's announcement could signal the seizure of more tankers, following the U.S. last week seizing a sanctioned oil tanker off Venezuela's coast. Officials claimed the vessel was involved in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations and used to transport oil between Venezuela and Iran. The oil tanker was headed to Cuba, and Maduro referred to the seizure as an "act of international piracy."

The U.S. Treasury Department recently announced sanctions on six additional tankers — White Crane, Kiara M, H Constance, Lattafa, Tamia, and Monique — along with six shipping companies it said transported Venezuelan crude oil in recent months. These measures are part of a broader package that also included sanctions on three members of Maduro's family and a business associate of the Venezuelan president.

It is possible that the U.S. will sanction additional vessels in the coming days. The U.S. currently has sanctions on hundreds of vessels. Recently, the U.S. sanctioned 183 Russian tankers in January 2025, and in November 2025, 170 tankers involved with Iran's oil trade were sanctioned.

According to Reuters, the fleet of sanctioned ships helping move Venezuelan oil numbered about 30. Tanker Trackers reported that there are more than a dozen sanctioned tankers in Venezuelan waters at the moment.

Military Strikes and Drug Trafficking Concerns

Separately, since September, the U.S. military has launched dozens of strikes on vessels allegedly carrying drugs. The Trump administration has stated these actions are aimed at stopping the flow of drugs into the U.S. These strikes have resulted in the deaths of at least 95 people.

Trump's post on Tuesday came after White House chief of staff Susie Wiles was quoted in Vanity Fair as saying that Trump "wants to keep on blowing boats up until Maduro cries uncle." This statement highlights the escalating tensions between the two nations.

Designation of Foreign Terrorist Organization

In his post on Tuesday, Trump denounced Maduro's government as a "Hostile Regime." While the U.S. has long considered Maduro the head of a corrupt dictatorial regime, Trump made an unprecedented move last month by declaring him the head of a foreign terrorist organization.

"The illegitimate Maduro Regime is using Oil from these stolen Oil Fields to finance themselves, Drug Terrorism, Human Trafficking, Murder, and Kidnapping," Trump wrote in the post on Tuesday. "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."

ABC News' Aicha Elhammar contributed to this report.