President Donald Trump has announced he is ordering a blockade of Venezuela's sanctioned oil tankers as Washington continues to put pressure on Nicolas Maduro's "terrorist" regime.
The announcement comes just days after American forces captured a sanctioned oil tanker near the South American country's coastline.
Mr Trump announced the blockade on Truth Social on Tuesday, warning Venezuela was using oil to fund narcoterrorism, human trafficking and other criminal activities.
The President wrote: "Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest armada ever assembled in the history of South America.
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"It will only get bigger, and the shock to them will be like nothing they have ever seen before - until such time as they return to the United States of America all of the oil, land, and other assets that they previously stole from us."
"The illegitimate Maduro regime is using oil from these stolen oil fields to finance themselves, drug terrorism, human trafficking, murder, and kidnapping."
Mr Trump added that "for the theft of our assets, and many other reasons," he would officially designation the far-left Venezuelan regime as a foreign terrorist organisation.
He continued: "Therefore, today, I am ordering a total and complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers going into, and out of, Venezuela.
'You're surrounded!' Donald Trump orders BLOCKADE of 'terrorist' Venezuela in grave war threat | GETTY
"The illegal aliens and criminals that the Maduro regime has sent into the United States during the weak and inept Biden administration, are being returned to Venezuela at a rapid pace.
"America will not allow criminals, terrorists, or other countries, to rob, threaten, or harm our nation and, likewise, will not allow a hostile regime to take our oil, land, or any other assets, all of which must be returned to the United States, immediately."
The build-up of US forces around Venezuela has been accompanied by military strikes on suspected drug-trafficking vessels in international waters in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.
The campaign has killed at least 95 suspected narco-terrorists on 25 separate boats.
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The President described Nicolas Maduro's regime as 'illegitimate'
| REUTERSThe blockade announcement comes after White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles suggested the goal of the boat strikes is to eventually topple Mr Maduro's regime.
She told Vanity Fair: “He [Trump] wants to keep on blowing boats up until Maduro cries uncle.
"And people way smarter than me on that say that he will."
The Trump administration has defended its campaign against Venezuelan boats, saying it has prevented harmful substances from reaching US shores.
The campaign has killed at least 95 suspected narco-terrorists on 25 separate boats
| HANDOUT
Susie Wiles suggested the goal of the boat strikes is to eventually topple Mr Maduro's regime
|GETTY
In August, the US offered a $50million (£37million) reward for information leading to the arrest of Mr Maduro.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi previously accused the dictator of collaborating with violent groups including organised crime group Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa drug cartel.
And last month, the US President urged Venezuelan dictator to flee the country with his family immediately during a call.
Mr Maduro has long accused the US of trying to topple his socialist regime, which has been accused of committing human rights abuses and crimes against humanity.
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