US Expands Sanctions on Venezuela, Targeting Shipping Firms and Oil Vessels

By Al Ahed Staff, Agencies

The US has imposed new sanctions on Venezuela, targeting six Venezuelan shipping companies and six vessels as part of Washington’s ongoing campaign to pressure President Nicolas Maduro.

US President Donald Trump has accused Maduro’s administration of facilitating drug smuggling into the US, an allegation Maduro rejects, claiming it serves as a pretext for regime-change efforts.

According to a statement released Thursday, the US Treasury said the sanctioned companies and ships are tied to Venezuela’s oil sector and support what it called a “corrupt narco-terrorist regime.”

The US also applied sanctions to three of Maduro’s nephews; two were previously convicted in the US on drug-trafficking charges before being released in a 2022 prisoner exchange.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the latest measures demonstrate that the US is “holding the regime and its circle of cronies and companies accountable for its continued crimes.”

The US has deployed a naval force to the Caribbean and has destroyed more than 20 suspected drug-running vessels in international waters since September.

Earlier this week, the US Coast Guard intercepted a previously sanctioned tanker near Venezuela, accusing it of transporting oil to Iran.

Venezuela condemned the tanker’s seizure as “a blatant act of piracy,” accusing the US of seeking to “plunder” the country’s natural resources. In response to the American military presence, Maduro has placed Venezuelan forces on high alert and conducted multiple military exercises.

On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone with Maduro, voicing support for Venezuela’s efforts to “defend national interests and sovereignty against foreign pressure.”