The source described restrictions on the transportation of oil through Venezuela under US sanctions as a “quarantine”.
— The actions taken so far put enormous pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, and there is a belief that the country will face an economic disaster at the end of January unless he agrees to significant concessions to the United States, the official said.
The article continues below the video
He added that “while military options remain, the priority is to use economic pressure through sanctions enforcement to achieve the outcome the White House wants.”
Donald Trump's threats against Venezuela
As noted by Reuters, this statement indicates that the prospect of a ground attack by US forces on Venezuela, which US President Donald Trump has repeatedly mentioned, may be postponed.
Trump does not recognize Maduro as the rightful leader of Venezuela, accusing him of running a drug cartel. For several weeks, American authorities have been striking boats that, according to the US services, are transporting drugs to the United States.
The US president on Monday announced a blockade of sanctioned tankers entering and leaving Venezuelan ports. He declared that the Maduro regime is a “foreign terrorist organization.”
The blockade had no effect
As Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, despite the intensified actions of the Americans, oil tankers continue to leave Venezuelan ports. According to the website, since the blockade of tankers intensified in mid-December, 14 ships have been loaded with oil in Venezuela, of which at least six were subject to sanctions.
It is not clear exactly how many units went to sea and what ports they were heading to, because they are usually ships from the so-called shadow fleets that disable tracking signals.
The Wall Street Journal reported last week that tankers subject to US sanctions are responsible for 70%. oil exports from Venezuela. Oil sales account for over 90 percent. export revenues in this country.
