President Trump on Tuesday called for a "total and complete blockade" on all sanctioned oil tankers that enter or depart Venezuela, as the administration heaps pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro at sea — and leaves the door open for land strikes.
"Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America," the president 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 that they previously stole from us."
CBS News has reached out to the Pentagon for comment.
Last week, the U.S. military seized a sanctioned 20-year-old oil tanker that had just left port in Venezuela, sources told CBS News. Armed personnel approached in helicopters and boarded the vessel, which was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury three years ago for its alleged role in an oil smuggling network that helped fund the Iranian military and its proxies in the region.
Mr. Trump's Tuesday night announcement suggests that further seizures are possible.
This is a developing story; it will be updated.