Washington– On Wednesday, the United States imposed sanctions on four companies operating in the Venezuelan oil sector and allocated four additional oil tankers, which the United States accuses of… Part of the Shadow Fleet Serving the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, as prohibited property.
This action is part of the Trump administration A pressure campaign that lasted for months On Maduro. The American forces also did Seizing two oil tankers Off the coast of Venezuela, They follow another and It carried out a series of deadly attacks on alleged drug smuggling boats In the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean.
A cluster of attacks announced on Wednesday brought the death toll from attacks to at least 110 people since early September. In a new escalation that represents the first known direct operation on Venezuelan territory, The CIA carried out a drone strike Last week in a docking area believed to have been used by drug gangs.
The latest sanctions imposed by the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control target ships bearing the names “Nordstar”, “Lunar Tide”, “Rosalind” and “Della”, and their registered ownership companies.
“Today’s sanctions continue President Trump’s pressure campaign on Maduro and his associates,” State Department spokesman Tommy Piggott said in a statement. He added, “The Trump administration is committed to disrupting the network that supports Maduro and his illegitimate regime.”
The sanctions are intended to deny companies and carriers access to any property or financial assets owned in the United States. People, banks and financial institutions that violate this restriction expose themselves to penalties or enforcement actions.
Treasury Secretary Scott Besent said the United States “will not allow the illegitimate Maduro regime to profit from oil exports while flooding the United States with deadly drugs.”
President Donald Trump announced a “Blockade” on all sanctioned oil tankers Entry and exit from South America. Venezuela has demanded this Return the assets seized of American oil companies for years, and said that the Maduro government uses oil profits to fund drug trafficking and other crimes.
“The Treasury Department will continue to implement President Trump’s pressure campaign on the Maduro regime,” Picente said.