Category: Trump vs venezuela
Trump designates Venezuelan regime a terrorist organization and orders oil tankers seized
President Donald Trump announced the escalation of U.S. efforts against the regime in Venezuela after a series of military strikes on alleged narco-terrorist drug boats.
The president said he was designating the regime a foreign terrorist organization and ordered a blockade against oil tankers.
‘I am ordering A TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS going into, and out of, Venezuela.’
“Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America,” he wrote on social media. “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 that they previously stole from us.”
He went on to accuse the regime of using stolen oil funds to support murder, drug terrorism, kidnapping, and human trafficking.
“For the theft of our Assets, and many other reasons, including Terrorism, Drug Smuggling, and Human Trafficking, the Venezuelan Regime has been designated a FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION,” he added. “Therefore, today, I am ordering A TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS going into, and out of, Venezuela.”
On Wednesday, the president announced that the military had seized an oil tanker outside of Venezuela. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi released a video of the operation and said the tanker had been warned about transporting sanctioned oil from Iran.
“We’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela,” Trump said to reporters. “Large tanker, very large, largest one ever seized actually.”
Democrats have accused the administration of acting improperly in the actions against Venezuela. Other critics have accused the president trying to distract Americans from the controversy over the release of the Epstein files.
RELATED: Trump crushes ‘obnoxious’ reporter at media briefing: ‘It’s always the same thing with you!’
Earlier in the month, the president said he had given an ultimatum to Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro to step down from power or face further escalation. Maduro reportedly offered to resign from political office but demanded that he be allowed to retain control of the military. No deal was reached.
The administration has also placed a $50 million bounty on Maduro’s head.
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Trump says US military has seized an oil tanker from Venezuela: ‘Largest one ever seized actually’
The U.S. military has seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, according to comments made by President Donald Trump.
The president has warned government leaders of Venezuela that he would take action against narco-terrorists smuggling harmful drugs from the country into the U.S. Those actions have manifested in military strikes against alleged drug vessels in the Caribbean.
‘For multiple years, the oil tanker has been sanctioned by the United States due to its involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations.’
“As you probably know, we’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela,” Trump said. “Large tanker, very large, largest one ever seized actually.”
Sources told ABC News that the tanker is referred to as a VLCC, or very large crude carrier, and can carry as many as 2 million barrels of oil.
The president offered few details about the incident but said more information would be released soon.
“It was seized for a very good reason,” he added.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi offered more details in a statement on social media.
“Today, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Coast Guard, with support from the Department of War, executed a seizure warrant for a crude oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran,” she wrote.
“For multiple years, the oil tanker has been sanctioned by the United States due to its involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations,” she added. “This seizure, completed off the coast of Venezuela, was conducted safely and securely — and our investigation alongside the Department of Homeland Security to prevent the transport of sanctioned oil continues.”
She included video from the operation in the post.
Also on Tuesday, the president said in an interview with Politico that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s days were numbered.
RELATED: US strike against military targets in Venezuela could begin at any moment: Report
Democrats have accused the administration of committing war crimes in the strikes on alleged drug-runners. In one incident, two survivors of a strike on a boat were killed by a second strike, which many have said was illegal.
The Trump administration has put up a $50 million reward for the arrest of Maduro.
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Trump crushes ‘obnoxious’ reporter at White House briefing: ‘It’s always the same thing with you!’
President Donald Trump berated a journalist who pressed him on the lethal attacks on suspected narco-terrorist boats near Venezuela.
Critics of the president say the military strikes are unlawful and unethical, but the administration has defended the actions as necessary and legal defensive acts to protect the American people.
‘Let me just tell you, you are an obnoxious — actually a terrible reporter.’
ABC News reporter Rachel Scott asked Trump if he was going to order Department of War Sec. Pete Hegseth to release video of the order to strike the boats, when the president grew angry with her insistence on the question.
“Are you committed to releasing the full video?” she asked.
“Didn’t I just tell you that?” the president fired back.
“You’re the most obnoxious reporter in the whole place. Let me just tell you, you are an obnoxious — actually a terrible reporter. And it’s always the same thing with you!” he added. “I told you, whatever Pete Hegseth wants to do is OK with me.”
Video of the president’s comments were posted to social media.
Scott posted her version of the interaction on social media.
“I asked President Trump if he would release the full video from the second strike on Sept 2nd,” she wrote. “Just days ago the president said he would have ‘no problem’ doing that. But now, he denies saying that. And is not committing to releasing it.”
The president’s opponents allege that a second strike on the survivors on a drug-trafficking boat could be prosecuted as a war crime, but the administration has defended the decision.
RELATED: US strike against military targets in Venezuela could begin at any moment: Report
The president may have been referring to an argument he had with the same reporter in July 2024, ahead of the election, at the National Association of Black Journalists.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been asked a question in such a horrible manner. The first question. You don’t even say, ‘Hello, how are you?’ … I think it’s disgraceful that I came here in good spirit,” he said at the event.
He later continued to lash out at the reporter during the event.
“Look, if I came onto a stage like this and I got treated so rudely as this woman treated me,” Trump said. “Very rude. That was a nasty — that wasn’t even a question. She didn’t ask me a question. She gave a statement.”
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