Trump’s agenda to intimidate Caracas: What are the consequences of a military option in the Caribbean?

In his latest hostile move against Venezuela, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers traveling to and from Venezuela.

The U.S. president has also designated the Venezuelan government as what he described as a “foreign terrorist organization.”

Trump’s escalation comes after U.S. forces seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela last week—an unusual move that followed an increase in U.S. military forces in the Caribbean region.

In response to Trump’s actions, the Venezuelan government stressed that the U.S. blockade of Venezuelan oil tankers is irrational.

In a statement, Venezuela’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that Caracas rejects and condemns Trump’s threats, reaffirms its sovereignty over all its resources and its right to freedom of navigation, and will exercise its sovereignty and overcome war threats.

In this context, Hojjatollah Soltani, former Iranian ambassador to Venezuela and an expert on Latin American affairs, spoke with Mizan to examine the dimensions of this tension and the background of U.S. actions in the Caribbean.

U.S. posturing in the Western hemisphere

Soltani said that this U.S. posturing in the Western Hemisphere shows that Washington has placed a strategy of intense and maximum pressure on its agenda. He noted that the initial deployment of an aircraft carrier, followed by the declaration of Venezuela’s airspace as restricted, and even Trump’s phone call with Maduro, all point to this approach.

The Latin America expert stated that Trump believed intimidation, threats, and psychological pressure could break the resistance of the Venezuelan people—especially President Maduro—and force them to relinquish power and submit to U.S. demands.

Trump seeks to cut off Venezuela’s main source of revenue

Noting that this did not happen in Venezuela, Soltani said that Trump then moved to impose a blockade on oil tankers—specifically those on the U.S. sanctions list. At this stage, Trump appears to be seeking to dry up Venezuela’s main source of income, namely oil exports, in order to put pressure on the country’s economic and living conditions.

Consequences of U.S. military action against Venezuela

Soltani noted that Trump hopes such pressure might trigger internal developments in Venezuela, sparing him from having to resort to military action. He stressed, however, that although Trump, in line with his narcissistic approach, seeks to impose his will internationally through force, any action contrary to international law and regulations will carry serious consequences.

The former Iranian ambassador to Venezuela emphasized that even if the United States were to undertake unilateral military action against Venezuela under these circumstances, such a move would be condemned and rejected by the United Nations and would not be supported by the international community.

The Latin America expert added that such an action would provoke negative reactions internationally. Therefore, Trump continues to pursue his goals through pressure, sabotage, destabilization, and the creation of divisions, hoping to engineer the change he desires.

No prospect for achieving Trump’s demands

Pointing out that no prospects have so far emerged for Trump’s demands to be realized, Soltani said that the Venezuelan people have chosen resistance, and as Maduro has stated, the cost of resistance is lower than the cost of surrender.

He emphasized that Venezuela is well aware of the fate of governments and officials who initially trusted the United States and the West, relinquished power, or yielded to Western demands.

The former ambassador noted that such surrender ultimately brought nothing but misery and disaster to those countries, as Western powers never honored their commitments or signatures—facts the Venezuelan people have observed, analyzed, and assessed.

Soltani concluded that the Venezuelan people see continued resistance as the best path to salvation, something clearly evident in Venezuela today. This determination is decisively reflected in the positions of Venezuelan officials, and their backbone—the Venezuelan people—have, in various ways, demonstrated their support for the government’s decision, which reflects the will of the nation and the defense of Venezuela’s independence, territorial sovereignty, and existing peace and stability.