Trump presses a new button in his strategy against Maduro: Economic strangulation through oil

"Last week's military operation against the Skipper, an oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast, was a declaration of intent from the White House. And, following Donald Trump's announcement of a total blockade against all sanctioned cargo ships attempting to enter or leave Venezuela, everything seems to indicate that there will be more. Venezuela must return the oil, land, and other assets that they previously stole from us, the magnate has insisted."

"Washington's strategy is intensifying and has included sanctions against six shipping companies and six vessels they own, businessmen linked to the Chavista regime, and three nephews of the presidential couple. This is shaping up to be a new phase of economic strangulation for the Maduro government, which relies primarily on oil exports and is struggling with a shortage of foreign currency to contain inflation."

"Of the 1,400 ships sanctioned worldwide by the United States, 600 are oil tankers, according to an AFP analysis using data from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the International Maritime Organization. While not all of them transit the Caribbean, dozens of vessels could be affected by increased U.S. surveillance. During Trump's first term, between 2019 and 2020, sanctions were imposed on 62 vessels linked to Venezuela."

Last week's military operation against the Skipper, an oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast, marked a clear U.S. signal and followed Donald Trump's announcement of a total blockade on sanctioned cargo ships entering or leaving Venezuela. U.S. measures now target oil, shipping companies, businessmen tied to the Chavista regime, and relatives of the presidential couple. The campaign has shifted from anti-drug operations to squeezing Maduro's financial lifelines, aiming to curb oil revenue and foreign-currency access. Intensive interception and sanctions against tankers could sharply reduce Caracas's cash flow and harm dependent allies like Cuba, while NGO monitoring reports widespread irregular ship activity.

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