From sanctions to blockade: Trump’s naval coercion of Venezuela

TEHRAN – U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to order a “total and complete” blockade of sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers marks one of the most dangerous escalations in Washington–Caracas relations. While the Trump administration presents the move as a sanctions enforcement action, the reality is far more serious: the use of military force to control another country’s trade, outside international law and without global consent.