The U.S. Treasury Department has announced new sanctions targeting seven individuals linked to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. Among those sanctioned are members of the family of one of Flores’s relatives, who had previously been sanctioned for corruption, according to Reuters.
These sanctions are part of Washington’s broader effort to increase pressure on the Venezuelan leadership, which it considers a “rogue regime” involved in illicit activities such as drug trafficking and its financing.
The U.S. measures go beyond individuals, extending to Venezuelan oil shipping and transport companies. A partial maritime blockade has been imposed on sanctioned oil tankers, aiming to restrict the regime’s ability to use energy revenues to fund its operations.
Tensions have escalated as a result, prompting regional countries like Trinidad and Tobago to declare their readiness to open airports for U.S. logistical support—adding a regional dimension to the standoff between Washington and Caracas.
Venezuela has strongly condemned the sanctions, calling them a deliberate attack on its sovereignty.
Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump told NBC News that he did not rule out the possibility of war with Venezuela, saying, “I don’t rule that out, no. If they’re foolish enough to sail with us, they’ll be turning back to one of our ports.”
Last Tuesday, Trump ordered a blockade on all sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela, in the latest move to target the Maduro government’s main source of income. The Venezuelan government rejected Trump’s threats.
Trump’s pressure campaign has also included bolstering military presence in the region and launching more than twenty military strikes on ships in the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea near Venezuela, resulting in at least 90 deaths.
According to the interview, Trump also indicated that more oil tankers near Venezuelan waters would be seized. Last week, the U.S. seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast.