The simmering standoff between the United States and Venezuela reached a dramatic new pitch this week, as U.S. forces seized a Venezuelan oil tanker in the Caribbean and former President Donald Trump announced a sweeping blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers traveling to and from Venezuela. The moves, which the U.S. says are aimed at disrupting illicit networks and pressuring Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, have sent shockwaves through the region, drawing fierce condemnation from Cuba and stoking fears of a wider energy crisis.
On December 10, 2025, U.S. forces intercepted and seized the Venezuelan tanker Skipper, which was reportedly carrying about two million barrels of heavy crude oil. American officials alleged the vessel was part of an “illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations,” a charge that Venezuela vehemently denies. The Venezuelan government swiftly condemned the action, calling it “an act of international piracy,” according to Reuters. “The President of the United States intends to impose, in an utterly irrational manner, a supposed naval blockade on Venezuela with the aim of stealing the riches that belong to our homeland,” the government said in a statement.
Just days later, on December 16, Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to announce an even more aggressive step. “Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America,” Trump wrote. “It will only get bigger, and the shock to them will be like nothing they have ever seen before … today, I am ordering A TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS going into, and out of, Venezuela.” This bold declaration marked an escalation in the months-long campaign to isolate Maduro’s government and cut off its vital oil revenues.
The Trump administration has accused the Venezuelan government of using oil profits to fund terrorism, drug smuggling, and human trafficking. In announcing the blockade, Trump designated Venezuela’s government as a “foreign terrorist organization,” a move that further inflamed diplomatic tensions. The U.S. has also ramped up its military footprint in the region, deploying thousands of troops and nearly a dozen warships—including an aircraft carrier—under the banner of “Operation Southern Spear,” officially described as a counter-narcotics mission.
For some, the military buildup and blockade have crossed a dangerous line. Texas Congressman Joaquin Castro, a Democrat, called the blockade “unquestionably an act of war.” He added pointedly, “A war that the Congress never authorized and the American people do not want.”
Meanwhile, the impact of these moves is being felt well beyond Venezuela’s borders. Nowhere is that more apparent than in Cuba, which relies heavily on Venezuelan oil imports to keep its lights on. The island nation is already grappling with a deep energy crisis marked by rolling blackouts. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel minced no words in his condemnation of the U.S. actions, calling the seizure of the Skipper “an act of piracy and maritime terrorism.” He warned that the expanded blockade could further disrupt Cuba’s fragile energy supplies, compounding the hardships faced by ordinary Cubans.
Former Cuban diplomat Carlos Alzugaray echoed these concerns, arguing that the U.S. actions were illegal under international law. “They have seized the ship, the tanker, but they have also seized the oil, they have taken the oil. All the sanctions that the United States has imposed on Venezuela are illegal because they are not based on any decision of an international institution like the Security Council of the United Nations,” Alzugaray stated, according to Bastille Post.
Cuban authorities have gone further, arguing that the U.S. military deployment in the Caribbean violates a regional declaration that designates Latin America and the Caribbean as a “Zone of Peace.” They have called for international condemnation, warning that the precedent set by the U.S. could destabilize the region and threaten the sovereignty of other nations.
Back in Venezuela, the government has responded defiantly to the mounting pressure. President Maduro, speaking at a public event before Trump’s announcement, said, “Imperialism and the fascist right want to colonize Venezuela to take over its wealth of oil, gas, gold, among other minerals. We have sworn absolutely to defend our homeland and in Venezuela peace will triumph.”
The U.S. campaign against Venezuela has not been limited to blockades and seizures. Since September 2, 2025, the U.S. military has conducted more than 20 strikes on vessels in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea near Venezuela, targeting what it claims are drug trafficking boats. These strikes have reportedly killed at least 95 people, most of them off Venezuela’s coast. The Pentagon recently confirmed it had carried out strikes on three boats accused of trafficking drugs in the Pacific, killing eight people. However, calls from lawmakers for the release of video footage from a September 2 attack have gone unanswered, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth calling the video “top secret.”
The Trump administration has defended its actions as necessary to prevent drugs from reaching U.S. shores and to pressure Maduro’s regime. Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles, told Vanity Fair that Trump “wants to keep on blowing boats up until Maduro cries uncle.” Yet, critics argue that the campaign is stretching the boundaries of lawful warfare and risks igniting a broader conflict in the region.
The blockade and tanker seizure have already begun to reverberate through global oil markets. Oil traders report that prices are rising in anticipation of a sharp reduction in Venezuelan exports. Since the Skipper was seized, Venezuelan crude exports have plummeted—a situation made worse by a cyberattack that crippled the administrative systems of PDVSA, Venezuela’s state-run oil company, during the week of December 15. While the global oil market remains well supplied for now, with millions of barrels of oil sitting on tankers off the coast of China, analysts warn that a prolonged embargo could eventually push prices higher by removing nearly a million barrels a day of supply.
Interestingly, not all vessels carrying Venezuelan oil are sanctioned. Some, including those operated by U.S. energy giant Chevron, continue to transport oil under special authorization. Others, especially ships carrying crude from Iran and Russia, have so far evaded sanctions, though the threat of U.S. interdiction hangs over every tanker leaving Venezuelan ports.
As the standoff drags on, the world is left to ponder the wider implications. The U.S. blockade of Venezuela’s oil trade is not just a bilateral dispute—it’s a flashpoint that touches on questions of international law, regional stability, and the global energy supply. With Cuba’s energy security hanging in the balance and oil markets on edge, the coming weeks will test the resolve of governments across the Americas and beyond.
For now, the only certainty is uncertainty itself. As one regional observer put it, "The shock to them will be like nothing they have ever seen before." How this high-stakes drama plays out could shape the geopolitics of the Western Hemisphere for years to come.
