00:00The blockade is not going to let anybody going through that shouldn't be going through.
00:05You remember they took all of our energy rights, they took all of our oil from not that long ago
00:11and we want it back, but they took it. They illegally took it.
00:30In a dramatic escalation of U.S. pressure, President Donald Trump announced on December 16th
00:40a total and complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela.
00:47Supported by a large U.S. naval presence in the Caribbean,
00:51the move strikes at the heart of President Nicolas Maduro's regime, the country's oil exports.
00:57Venezuela sits on the world's largest proven oil reserves, but decades of mismanagement,
01:04corruption and prior sanctions have slashed production from over 3 million barrels per day
01:10in the early 2000s to around 1 million today.
01:13Oil accounts for more than 90 percent of government revenue,
01:17funding imports, social programs and networks that keep Maduro in power.
01:22Trump's blockade targets over 30 sanctioned tankers operating in Venezuelan waters,
01:29which previously shipped oil, mostly to China at discounted rates, while evading U.S. sanctions.
01:33Trump's blockade targets over 30 sanctioned tankers operating in Venezuelan waters,
01:38which previously shipped oil, mostly to China at discounted rates, while evading U.S. sanctions.
01:45The impact is already clear. Venezuelan crude exports dropped sharply in early December.
02:04An analyst sworn that the blockade could cut exports by half, causing storage issues, fuel shortages and deepening economic collapse.
02:12Maduro has responded defiantly. The Venezuelan navy is escorting tankers, and the government claims exports continue.
02:21Allies like Russia, Iran and China are providing diplomatic and trade support, though U.S. pressure complicates these routes.
02:29Domestically, Maduro maintains control through military loyalty, repression and limited social programs.
02:36Trump's strategy goes beyond economics. The U.S. has deployed a significant naval presence, targeted alleged drug shipments,
02:44and demanded the return of U.S. oil assets nationalized under Chavez.
02:49While some analysts believe the blockade could fracture military loyalty and weaken Maduro's hold,
02:55others note his resilience in surviving past crises. The blockade intensifies the threat to Maduro's regime,
03:03potentially starving it of revenue and sparking unrest. Yet with foreign backing and a history of surviving sanctions and protests,
03:11his fall is far from guaranteed. For now, Venezuela's oil, once a national blessing, has become a key vulnerability,
03:19and the coming weeks may determine whether Maduro can withstand the heaviest pressure of his presidency.
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