Venezuela denounces Trump's order for ship blockade as 'warmongering threats'

It comes a week after the US seized an oil tanker off the country's coast, intensifying pressure on Nicolás Maduro.

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Trump wrote that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's government had been designated a foreign terrorist organisation (FTO), which had also engaged in "Drug Smuggling, and Human Trafficking".

His remarks come after the US seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela last week, a significant action in light of the South American nation's reliance on oil.

The US has also recently conducted deadly strikes on alleged Venezuelan drug-smuggling boats, and has significantly built up its naval presence nearby.

Trump's post did not give further detail of how the wide-ranging blockade on sanctioned oil tankers would be enforced.