US President Donald Trump has ordered a "total and complete blockade" of all sanctioned oil tankers going into and out of Venezuela, citing the Maduro government’s designation as a foreign terrorist organization. This move follows the recent seizure of an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela by the US.

• The blockade targets "ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS going into, and out of, Venezuela."
• President Trump accused the Maduro government of "Terrorism, Drug Smuggling, and Human Trafficking," and stealing US assets.
• The US has deployed the "largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America," including the USS Gerald Ford, within striking distance of Venezuela.
• The US recently seized the tanker Skipjack and imposed fresh sanctions on six more ships carrying Venezuelan oil, as well as on President Maduro’s relatives.
• Congressman Joaquin Castro described the naval blockade as "unquestionably an act of war."