The White House has reportedly ordered US military forces to focus almost exclusively on enforcing the "quarantine" of Venezuelan oil for the next two months at least, which could dampen the prospect of land operations despite President Donald Trump's repeated threats.
As per a report by Reuters, which quoted a White House official, the US has not ruled out military strikes against Venezuela, but is currently focused on putting economic pressure on President Nicolas Maduro, who the Trump administration accuses of heading a drug cartel.
"While military options still exist the focus is to first use economic pressure by enforcing sanctions to reach the outcome the White House is looking," the official was quoted as saying by Reuters.
The official further added that the "belief" in the Trump administration is that Maduro, by late January, would be facing such “economic calamity” that he would have to make "significant concessions" to the US.
Currently, there are about 15,000 US troops and 11 warships nearby Venezuela
Trump announces 'blockade'
The reported development comes days after Trump, on Truth Social, declared a "blockade" of "all sanctioned oil tankers" going in to and coming out of Venezuela.
"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," Trump had written a little over a week back.
"Therefore, today, I am ordering A TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS going into, and out of, Venezuela," the US President had added.
While a naval blockade constitutes an act of war under international law, Trump appears to have meant something else.
According to ABC News, which cited a former military and State Department official, Trump's specification of targeting only "sanctioned" oil tankers signals that US action against Venezuela, for the time being, will be restricted to a legal quarantine as part of a broader law enforcement drive by the US Coast Guard.
The latest development from the White House seems to confirm the same, with the US military being tasked only with enforcing the "quarantine".
Pressure builds on Maduro
Over the past several months, the Trump administration has been ramping up pressure on Maduro, whose legitimacy is questioned not just by Venezuelan opposition, but also by 50+ countries around the world, as per US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
To that end, the Trump administration has carried out over two dozen strikes on alleged drug boats, resulting in over 100 deaths thus far.
The US has also seized two Venezuelan oil tankers, The Skipper and Centuries. A third tanker, Bella 1, was actively pursued but escaped into the Atlantic Ocean, as per Bloomberg.
The Trump administration has also designated Venezuelan criminal gangs and government-linked groups such as the Cartel de los Soles as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs).
