White House Orders Military to 'Quarantine' Venezuela Oil, Intensifying Economic Pressure

• The White House ordered the US military to focus on a "quarantine" of Venezuelan oil for at least two months, aiming for economic pressure over military action.
• The strategy seeks to force Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to make concessions or leave power by late January, citing potential economic calamity.
• US actions include enforcing sanctions, intercepting oil tankers (two seized, third attempted on Bella-1), and maintaining a huge military presence in the Caribbean.
• President Donald Trump has publicly pressured Maduro to leave and authorized covert CIA activity, while accusing Venezuela of flooding the US with drugs.
• UN experts condemned the "blockade" as "illegal armed aggression," and Venezuela's UN Ambassador Samuel Moncada called the US government the real threat.

Why It Matters: US military enforces oil 'quarantine' on Venezuela, prioritizing economic pressure over war.