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By Dan Gooding and Gabe Whisnant
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The White House has ordered U.S. military forces to focus almost exclusively on enforcing a “quarantine” of Venezuelan oil for at least the next two months, a U.S. official told Reuters on Wednesday. The move shifts the emphasis toward economic pressure rather than immediate military action against Venezuela.
The official said the strategy is intended to intensify sanctions and increase pressure on President Nicolás Maduro’s government to make concessions. President Donald Trump has previously said military options remain on the table.
Newsweek reached out to the White House and the Pentagon for comment via email on Wednesday afternoon.
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Why It Matters
The Trump administration has been ramping up pressure on Venezuela, with strikes on alleged drug smuggling vessels and the seizure of oil tankers. Trump has long been a critic of Maduro, and has accused him of leading criminal organizations that are smuggling drugs into the U.S.—something the Venezuelan leader and experts have denied.
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What To Know
According to Reuters, the White House directive could signal that land-based strikes in Venezuela are less likely, at least for now.
While Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has remained adamant that the U.S. is within its rights to carry out strikes in international waters in the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean, the deadly hits have drawn criticism from Venezuela, other nations, and U.S. lawmakers, with the latter group warning it is only Congress that has the power to authorize military action.
Avoiding military combat and seeking economic pressure instead could ease some of that scrutiny and give the administration time to come up with a longer-term plan while still maintaining pressure on Maduro.
The Venezuelan president has been defiant in recent weeks, saying he does not want to go to war with the U.S., telling his followers on Telegram earlier this week that he and his wife had been out enjoying Christmas celebrations.
"Our people are exercising the most beautiful right they have: the right to happiness, to live in peace, and to enjoy this time of unity. 'No War!'" Maduro wrote.
At the same time, the U.S. has been growing its military presence in the region and has seized two oil tankers. The Venezuelan government is looking to criminalize the blockades.
On Tuesday, at an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council, U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz said sanctioned oil tankers “operate as the primary economic lifeline for Maduro and his illegitimate regime." Venezuela's U.N. ambassador accused the U.S. of acting outside international law.
What People Are Saying
Venezuela’s U.N. Ambassador Samuel Moncada, speaking Tuesday: “What right does the United States government have to appropriate, to date, almost 4 million barrels of Venezuelan oil? This alleged naval blockade is essentially a military act aimed at laying siege to the Venezuelan nation, degrading its economic and military apparatus, weakening its social and political cohesion, and causing internal chaos to facilitate aggression by external forces.”
President Donald Trump said of the military buildup in a December 16 post on Truth Social: "Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America. 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."
What Happens Next
Official plans have not been announced by the Trump administration, but it is likely that the White House will continue its pressure campaign against Maduro, who remains defiant in the face of pressure, backed by allies Russia, Iran, and China.
This article contains reporting by The Associated Press.
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