President Donald Trump has declared the Venezuelan regime a foreign terrorist organization and ordered what he described as “a total and complete blockade” of sanctioned oil tankers traveling to and from the country, marking a major escalation in U.S. pressure on Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

The move follows an ongoing U.S. drone strike campaign targeting drug-smuggling boats in the region, which has killed 95 people to date.

Trump is now expanding that effort as part of a broader campaign against Maduro, whom he has repeatedly described as illegitimate and has previously urged to flee Venezuela.

“Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America,” Trump said.

Trump stated that Maduro must return oil, land, and other assets that he said were stolen from the United States.

He accused the Venezuelan leader of using illicit oil revenues to fund narco-terrorism, human trafficking, murder, kidnapping, and personal enrichment.

“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,” Trump said.

“Therefore, today, I am ordering A TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS going into, and out of, Venezuela. The Illegal Aliens and Criminals that the Maduro Regime has sent into the United States during the weak and inept Biden Administration, are being returned to Venezuela at a rapid pace.”

The announcement follows a sharp escalation last week, when U.S. forces seized a sanctioned oil tanker that the Trump administration accused of smuggling illicit crude.

Trump also demanded that Maduro’s “hostile regime” return American assets “IMMEDIATELY.”

The blockade order coincides with a significant U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean.

Trump has paired the ongoing strikes with the deployment of major naval assets, including the world’s largest aircraft carrier and multiple additional warships.

U.S. military aircraft have also conducted repeated flights along Venezuela’s coastline in recent weeks.

While Trump and his administration have said the military buildup is aimed at combating drug trafficking, Maduro has accused Washington of using narcotics smuggling as a pretext for regime change in Caracas.

The United States has sought to link the two issues, accusing Maduro of leading the alleged “Cartel of the Suns,” which was designated a “narco-terrorist” organization last month.

The U.S. has also offered a $50 million reward for information leading to Maduro’s capture.

The U.S. military presence in the region is now the largest in decades.

American forces have launched a series of deadly strikes against suspected drug-smuggling vessels in both the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean.

The Trump administration has said the campaign is focused on stopping drugs bound for the United States.

However, Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles, appeared to confirm in a Vanity Fair interview published Tuesday that the campaign is also intended to pressure Maduro.

Wiles said Trump “wants to keep on blowing boats up until Maduro cries uncle.”

On Monday, Trump signed an executive order placing fentanyl in the same category as nuclear and chemical weapons, a move intended to signal the seriousness of his administration’s efforts to stop the flow of drugs into the United States.

Trump has also said that land attacks are coming, though he has not provided details on timing or location.

At the Pentagon, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has faced continued questioning over his approval of strikes on Venezuelan drug vessels, including a second strike following an initial attack in September that killed two survivors.

The incident involved a speedboat in the Caribbean Sea that the administration said was carrying cocaine en route to the United States.

After a missile disabled the vessel and killed most of those onboard, two survivors were seen clinging to the wreckage and were believed to be attempting to radio for help.

Pentagon officials have defended the decision to authorize the second strike on September 2, arguing it was based on a perceived ongoing threat.

Lawmakers have since demanded unedited video footage of the strikes.

Hegseth told congressional leaders he was still weighing whether to release the footage and instead provided a classified briefing alongside Rubio and other senior national security officials.

That same day, Admiral Alvin Holsey, who is retiring from U.S. Southern Command this week, held separate discussions with the Republican chairman and the ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

In late November, Trump warned Maduro to flee the country with his wife or face consequences as U.S. warships and troops continued to deploy to the region.

Trump reportedly offered Maduro, his wife, and son safe passage if he resigned immediately, according to The Miami Herald.

A source familiar with the call said Maduro requested global amnesty, which Trump rejected, before proposing that he retain control of the Venezuelan armed forces in exchange for free elections.

Trump declined that proposal as well, and Maduro ultimately rejected the idea of resigning.

Trump later confirmed that the talks had taken place as tensions between Washington and Caracas intensified.

Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, has relied heavily on military loyalty, appointing officers to senior government roles.

The United States has condemned his rule, citing his claimed election victory in 2024 despite evidence that his opposition received more votes.

The current wave of U.S. deployments began in August with the arrival of the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group.

In October, the Pentagon announced that the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, would join the mission.