The White House has directed U.S. military forces to concentrate nearly exclusively on enforcing a “quarantine” of Venezuelan oil for at least the next two months, a senior U.S. official told Reuters on Wednesday (Dec. 24), signaling that Washington is prioritizing economic pressure over direct military action against Caracas.
“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 for,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
President Donald Trump has remained publicly vague about his precise objectives regarding Venezuela, but Reuters has reported that he has privately pressed President Nicolás Maduro to step down. On Monday, Trump suggested that it would be “smart” for Maduro to leave power.
“The efforts so far have put tremendous pressure on Maduro, and the belief is that by late January, Venezuela will be facing an economic calamity unless it agrees to make significant concessions to the U.S.,” the official added.
The Trump administration has long accused Venezuela of contributing to the flow of narcotics into the United States. Over recent months, U.S. forces have targeted vessels originating from South America allegedly carrying drugs, actions that several countries have condemned as extrajudicial killings.
In addition, Trump has publicly threatened to strike drug infrastructure on Venezuelan territory and has authorized covert CIA operations aimed at destabilizing the Maduro government.
This month, the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted two tankers in the Caribbean Sea, both carrying Venezuelan crude oil. Following a Reuters report that the Coast Guard was awaiting reinforcements to attempt a third seizure of an empty sanctioned tanker, the Bella-1, White House officials emphasized that sanctions enforcement would remain the priority.
Venezuela’s U.N. ambassador, Samuel Moncada, denounced the U.S. approach, stating on Tuesday: “The threat is not Venezuela. The threat is the U.S. government.”
The White House did not clarify how the military would dedicate itself “almost exclusively” to interdicting Venezuelan oil, as the U.S. military’s global operations span a wide array of missions, many of which are unrelated to maritime interdiction.
Nevertheless, the Pentagon has bolstered its presence in the Caribbean, deploying more than 15,000 troops, an aircraft carrier, 11 other warships, and more than a dozen F-35 fighter jets. While some of these assets are capable of assisting in sanctions enforcement, others are not specifically suited to that task.
On Tuesday, the United States told the United Nations that it would impose and enforce sanctions “to the maximum extent” to deprive Maduro of resources. Earlier this month, Trump ordered what he described as a “blockade” of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.
Notably, the White House’s use of the term “quarantine” echoes the language employed during the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, when President John F. Kennedy deliberately avoided using the word “blockade” to reduce the risk of escalating tensions into a direct military conflict.
Analysts say the approach reflects a strategy of applying maximum economic pressure while keeping the option of direct military action in reserve. By targeting Venezuela’s oil exports, which form the backbone of the country’s economy, Washington aims to force concessions from Maduro without immediately resorting to open conflict.
For now, U.S. officials stress that sanctions enforcement will dominate policy, with the goal of compelling Venezuela’s leadership to negotiate. How Caracas will respond, and whether the economic squeeze will succeed, remains uncertain.
