U.S. military ordered to focus on ‘quarantine’ of Venezuela oil: official

26 DECEMBER 2025

The White House has ordered U.S. military forces to focus almost exclusively on enforcing a “quarantine” of Venezuelan oil for at least the next two months, a U.S. official said, indicating Washington is currently more interested in using economic rather than military means to pressure Caracas
While President Donald Trump has been publicly coy about his precise aims regarding Venezuela, he has privately pressured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to flee the nation.
Mr. Trump has accused the South American country of flooding the U.S. with drugs, and his administration has for months been bombing boats originating in South America that it alleges were carrying drugs. Many nations have condemned the attacks as extrajudicial killings.
Mr. Trump has also frequently threatened to start bombing drug infrastructure on land, and has authorised covert CIA activity directed at Caracas.
In December 2025, the U.S. Coast Guard has intercepted two tankers in the Caribbean Sea, both fully loaded with Venezuelan crude.