by Jeff Mordock at The Washington Times
President Trump on Tuesday designated the Venezuelan government a “terrorist organization” and ordered a “complete and total” blockade of sanctioned oil tankers moving in and out of the country.
The moves are the strongest measures Mr. Trump has taken to pressure Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to leave his country.
The Trump administration has said Mr. Maduro is a drug lord who is helping funnel illicit narcotics into the U.S., a claim he has repeatedly denied.
Venezuela produces about 1 million barrels a day. By blocking the oil tankers coming into and out of the country, Mr. Trump is choking off the lifeblood of its economy.
Mr. Trump said his administration is labeling Mr. Maduro’s regime as a foreign terrorist organization for “the theft of our assets, and many other reasons, including terrorism, drug smuggling and human trafficking.”
“Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest armada ever assembled in the history of South America,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social. “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 they previously stole from us.”
Designating the Venezuelan government a…
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