This is Washington's latest move to increase pressure on Nicolas Maduro's government, targeting its main source of income.

Along with the blockade, Trump said he has formally designated Venezuela's Maduro and his government allies a foreign terrorist organization.

President Donald Trump said he was ordering a “TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS” going into and leaving Venezuela, ratcheting up pressure on Caracas amid a US military buildup in the region and the threat of land strikes.

The Trump administration plans to hold the oil tanker it seized in waters near Venezuela at an American port in Texas but release the crew once the vessel docks, according to two U.S. officials. The officials said the tanker was seized in international waters.

The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford has been positioned in the region following the seizure of an oil tanker and the president’s own recent remarks.