Trump Announces Blockade on Sanctioned Oil Tankers to and From Venezuela |
Ongoing reports and analysis
U.S. President Trump announced overnight Tuesday a “TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS” going to or from Venezuela, a sharp shift from the administration’s previous rationale that it was fighting narcotics trafficking in the Caribbean.
That doesn’t necessarily mean that the U.S. military buildup—and the series of strikes since September that have killed more than 90 people—are simply about Venezuela’s oil. It does suggest, as White House Chief of Staff Susan Wiles said in interviews published this week, that Washington is seeking regime change in Caracas: Choking off oil flows, the source of almost all of the Venezuelan government’s revenue, could be a backbreaker for President Nicolás Maduro’s rule.
U.S. President Trump announced overnight Tuesday a “TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS” going to or from Venezuela, a sharp shift from the administration’s previous rationale that it was fighting narcotics trafficking in the Caribbean.
That doesn’t necessarily mean that the U.S. military buildup—and the series of strikes since September that have killed more than 90 people—are simply about Venezuela’s oil. It does suggest,........