Trump Refuses to Rule Out War with Venezuela as US Sanctions Maduro Family Members

US President Donald Trump refused to rule out the possibility of war with Venezuela during an interview with NBC published on Friday, just days after ordering a naval blockade of sanctioned tankers entering and leaving Venezuela. The Trump administration also imposed sanctions on members of the family and associates of Nicolas Maduro and his wife, intensifying pressure on the Venezuelan president.

US President Donald Trump left the possibility of war with Venezuela on the table in an interview published Friday, after escalating the US pressure campaign on Caracas with an oil blockade.

"I don't rule it out, no," Trump said to NBC News during a phone interview on Thursday.

Trump also refused to say whether he wants to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who has claimed that Washington seeks regime change in Caracas.

"He knows exactly what I want," Trump replied. "He knows better than anyone."

Trump indicated there would be more tanker seizures after US forces took control last week of a tanker leaving the South American nation.

"Narco-terrorist"

Trump left the world guessing his ultimate goals regarding Venezuela, after significantly increasing the US military presence in the Caribbean in recent months.

The US president accused Maduro of leading a "narco-terrorist" cartel, and US forces have conducted numerous strikes against suspected drug boats since September, killing more than 100 people.

Trump has also claimed for weeks that he will soon begin ground strikes against drug traffickers.

But this week, Trump focused on Venezuela's oil, which has the largest proven reserves in the world.

Trump also accused Venezuela of "taking" American oil, apparently referring to the nationalization of the country's oil industry, as he announced the blockade of sanctioned tankers.

"They took all our energy rights, they took all our oil, not so long ago, and we want it back," Trump said on Wednesday.

Sanctions

His latest comments come as the US Treasury Department announced it had imposed sanctions on seven people linked to Maduro and his wife.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accused them of "supporting Nicolas Maduro's narco-rogue state."

"We will not allow Venezuela to continue flooding our nation with deadly drugs," Bessent said.

"Maduro and his criminal accomplices threaten the peace and stability of our hemisphere. The Trump administration will continue to target the networks that support his illegitimate dictatorship."

Venezuela's Ministry of Information did not immediately respond to a request for comment.