President Donald Trump is sending a clear message to Venezuela: the days of free passes are over.
As reported Tuesday, Trump announced that the South American regime will be required to turn over sanctioned oil—between 30 million and 50 million barrels—to benefit the United States and the Venezuelan people. The oil is valued at more than $1 billion, marking a significant reversal from years of lopsided concessions under prior administrations.
And it gets even better. For anyone wondering how Trump plans to enforce this without dragging the United States into another foreign conflict, the answer is simple – leverage:
The Trump administration has told Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodriguez that the regime must meet the White House’s demands before being allowed to pump more oil, according to three people familiar with the administration’s plan.
First, the country must kick out China, Russia, Iran, and Cuba and sever economic ties, the sources said. Second, Venezuela must agree to partner exclusively with the U.S. on oil production and favor America when selling heavy crude oil, they added.
According to one person, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers in a private briefing on Monday that he believes the U.S. can force Venezuela’s hand because its existing oil tankers are full. Rubio also told lawmakers that the U.S. estimates that Caracas has only a couple of weeks before it will become financially insolvent without the sale of its oil reserves.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS) emphasized that the goal was to achieve this without deploying troops on the ground.
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“The government does intend to control the oil, taking charge of the ships, the tankers, and none of them are going to go to Havana,” Wicker said. “And until they start moving — we hope to the open market — there are no more tankers to fill, because they’re totally full.”
The United States has imposed a sanctions blockade on the country. Additionally, we have seized two tankers that were either arriving in or departing from Venezuela in violation of these sanctions:
The U.S. military seized the Bella 1 and subsequently handed over control of it to law enforcement officials, said a U.S. official, who spoke to The Associated Press on Wednesday on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military operations
The ship was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2024 for allegedly smuggling cargo for a company linked to Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran. The U.S. Coast Guard attempted to board it in the Caribbean in December as it headed for Venezuela. The ship refused boarding and headed across the Atlantic.
The ship’s operators attempted to reflag it as a Russian vessel, but the move failed to fool U.S. authorities. U.S. European Command said the vessel was seized “pursuant to a warrant issued by a U.S. federal court.”
Moscow reportedly attempted to dispatch assets to escort the ship, but U.S. forces moved first, securing the vessel before Russia could intervene.
The U.S. also seized another sanctioned tanker, the Sophia, in the Caribbean, according to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, who revealed that both ships were “either last docked in Venezuela or en route to it.” She praised the actions of the U.S. forces involved.
In two predawn operations today, the Coast Guard conducted back-to-back meticulously coordinated boarding of two “ghost fleet” tanker ships— one in the North Atlantic Sea and one in international waters near the Caribbean. Both vessels —the Motor Tanker Bella I and the Motor… pic.twitter.com/EZlHEtcufX
— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) January 7, 2026
They may attempt to flee, but it appears that the U.S. is locating them and will not allow them passage.
