The United States has substantially increased its efforts to exert pressure on Nicolás Maduro's government, implementing a comprehensive strategy that includes severe sanctions, a reinforced naval blockade, and covert operations. This escalating approach, designed to isolate Venezuela and ultimately weaken Maduro's authority, has already influenced international oil markets and suggests a potential broadening of American foreign policy methods.
Recent actions by the US Department of the Treasury have targeted four companies and their associated oil tankers, accused of transporting Venezuelan crude and circumventing existing punitive measures. This initiative aims to prevent Venezuela from accessing global oil revenues, which Washington claims are being used to fund what it terms "destabilising operations." President Donald Trump has also asserted that US forces conducted a land-based strike on a Venezuelan facility, a development that, if verified, signifies a notable increase in actions beyond maritime interdictions. Furthermore, reports from credible news organisations indicate the Central Intelligence Agency has employed drone technology for targeted strikes on what are believed to be port facilities frequented by the notorious Tren de Aragua street gang, an organisation implicated in illicit activities.
This heightened pressure follows the strategic deployment of a US naval fleet, initiated in August, which has been actively enforcing a de facto "total blockade" of sanctioned oil tankers. Vessels have been intercepted, and pursuits of others have been reported, demonstrating the administration's commitment to disrupting Venezuela's oil exports. The US had previously authorised the CIA to undertake covert operations within Venezuela, a measure confirmed in October. These actions are justified by the US rationale of countering alleged drug trafficking and "narco-terrorism" attributed to Maduro's regime, with US officials expressing concerns about the influx of drugs and the potential release of prisoners from Venezuelan correctional facilities into the United States.
The consequences of these aggressive tactics are already apparent. Increased uncertainty surrounding oil supply has contributed to a rise in benchmark crude prices, with West Texas Intermediate (WTI) experiencing an uptick. Analysts like June Goh, a senior oil market analyst at Sparta Commodities, observe that "the market is waking up to the fact that the Trump administration is taking a hardline approach to the Venezuelan oil trade." This period of heightened tension has also been characterised by a "shadow war," as described by Alejandro Velasco, a historian of modern Venezuela and professor at New York University, who posits, "The US doesn’t want to call it a war because that would trigger congressional oversight… but it is a war, as people are dying – and they’re dying in a very explicit and loud way with these airstrikes on boats." However, the long-term effectiveness and broader geopolitical implications of this multifaceted pressure campaign remain subjects of intense scrutiny and debate.