Venezuela said in response to the announced blockade that it rejected Trump’s “grotesque threat.” Venezuela deployed its navy to escort tankers leaving the country’s main oil port from Tuesday evening to Wednesday morning, following Trump’s announcement, according to the New York Times.

President Donald Trump tonight mounted a sustained argument for his administration’s economic success, arguing that he’d made significant progress in easing prices despite widespread voter frustration...

The seizures would hamstring Venezuelan oil exports, cutting one of the country’s key generators of revenue and placing the Maduro regime’s finances under intense strain.