Chinese oil tankers are pressing ahead with Venezuela-linked voyages despite a U.S. blockade and an escalating campaign of tanker seizures. Two Chinese-flagged VLCCs are operating near Venezuelan waters,

On Tuesday, Trump threatened what he called a "blockade" of all sanctioned oil tankers traveling in and out of Venezuela, ratcheting up pressure on the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whose government depends in part on revenue derived from oil sales.

Venezuela said in response to the announced blockade that it rejected Trump’s “grotesque threat.” Venezuela deployed its navy to escort tankers leaving the country’s main oil port from Tuesday evening to Wednesday morning, following Trump’s announcement, according to the New York Times.

President Donald Trump says he is ordering a blockade of all “sanctioned oil tankers” into Venezuela, ramping up pressure on the country’s authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro.

President Donald Trump announced Tuesday what he called a "blockade" of sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers, ratcheting up American pressure on the Venezuelan regime.

President Donald Trump ramped up pressure on Venezuela on Tuesday by announcing that he is ordering a blockade of all “sanctioned oil tankers ” entering and leaving the South American country.

The U.S. Coast Guard led another seizure of an oil tanker in international waters near Venezuela on Saturday amid a blockade of Venezuela.

The US Coast Guard stopped and boarded an oil tanker in the Caribbean early Saturday that was last docked in Venezuela, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said, after President Donald Trump ordered a blockade.

A crisis more than a century ago involved U.S. aims to assert military supremacy, a hard-partying dictator and frictions among the great powers.