By Steve Holland
WASHINGTON, Dec 24 (Reuters) – The White House has instructed U.S. military forces to concentrate mainly on enforcing a "quarantine" of Venezuelan oil for at least the next two months. A U.S. official informed Reuters that the current approach leans towards economic measures rather than military action to pressure Caracas.
The official, speaking anonymously, stated, “While military options remain, the priority is to first apply economic pressure through sanctions to achieve the White House's desired outcome.”
President Donald Trump has kept his specific objectives regarding Venezuela somewhat vague in public. However, he has reportedly urged Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to leave the country. Trump mentioned on Monday that it would be wise for Maduro to step down.
According to the official, “The current efforts have increased pressure on Maduro, and by late January, it is believed that Venezuela will face a severe economic crisis unless significant concessions are made to the U.S.”
U.S. PLANS TO SEIZE A THIRD VESSEL
Trump has accused Venezuela of sending large amounts of drugs into the U.S. His administration has been targeting boats from South America that are suspected of carrying drugs. Many countries have criticized these attacks as extrajudicial killings.
The president has threatened to bomb drug-related infrastructure in Venezuela and has approved covert CIA operations aimed at Caracas.
This month, the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted two tankers in the Caribbean, both carrying Venezuelan crude oil. The official's comments follow reports that the Coast Guard was preparing for a third seizure attempt, which commenced on Sunday against an empty sanctioned vessel named Bella-1.
Venezuela’s U.N. Ambassador Samuel Moncada stated on Tuesday, “The threat is not Venezuela. The threat is the U.S. government.”
EXTENSIVE U.S. MILITARY PRESENCE IN THE CARIBBEAN
The White House official did not specify what “almost exclusively” focusing on intercepting Venezuelan oil entails. The U.S. military has a vast presence worldwide, and many of its missions are unrelated to maritime interdiction.
The Pentagon has established a significant military presence in the Caribbean, comprising over 15,000 troops, including an aircraft carrier, 11 warships, and more than a dozen F-35 aircraft. While many resources can assist in enforcing sanctions, others, such as fighter jets, are not ideal for this purpose.
On Tuesday, the U.S. informed the United Nations that it would implement and enforce sanctions “to the maximum extent” to cut off resources from Maduro.
Earlier this month, Trump ordered a “blockade” of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, but the use of the term “quarantine” by the White House appears to be reminiscent of language used during the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, aimed at avoiding escalation. Robert McNamara, the defense secretary at the time, noted in 2002, “We called it a quarantine because blockade is a word of war.”
U.N. experts condemned the blockade on Wednesday, stating that such use of force is deemed “illegal armed aggression.”