Trump orders total blockade of Venezuelan oil tankers as the South American nation controls world's largest oil reserves with over 300 billion barrels.

The votes follow a monthslong military campaign against alleged drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean.

Closely tied to Washington during much of the Cold War, Venezuela has gone through political upheavals over the years that now make it a major enemy in the eyes of the Trump administration.

Ghost fleets are a growing phenomenon, used not just by Venezuela but also by two other oil-producing countries under Western sanctions - Russia and Iran. Financial intelligence firm S&P Global estimates that one in five oil tankers worldwide are used to smuggle oil from sanctioned countries.

The U.S. military said on Wednesday it had launched another attack on an alleged drug boat, killing four people.

The fleet of ghost ships Venezuela uses to smuggle part of its oil to black markets, which President Donald Trump vowed this week to stop with a military blockade, is made up of dozens of old tankers and operates following the example of other nations under sanctions such as Russia and Iran,

How America First foreign policy and the 2025 National Security Strategy explain U.S. actions toward Venezuela, migration, energy security, and regional power.