December 12, 2025 — ZenX News Desk
Recent actions by the United States against Venezuela suggest that what is often described as a looming conflict may, in practice, already be underway. The seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker near the country’s coast marks an escalation in a long pattern of sanctions, military pressure and political interference that has shaped Washington’s relationship with Caracas for years.
US President Donald Trump has framed these actions as part of a campaign against drug trafficking and criminal networks allegedly linked to Venezuela’s leadership. Yet critics argue that such claims lack credible evidence and instead serve to justify increasingly aggressive measures against an oil-rich nation that has long been at odds with US interests.
Oil, Rhetoric and Escalation
Trump’s remarks following the tanker seizure — including suggestions that the US would retain the oil — have only intensified suspicions that Venezuela’s vast energy resources remain a central concern. While Washington insists its focus is security and narcotics control, Venezuela does not produce fentanyl, and experts have repeatedly questioned its role in the US drug trade.
The incident also follows a series of US military operations in the Caribbean, where boats have been targeted on allegations of trafficking. These actions, combined with Trump’s rhetoric and threats of further intervention, have fuelled fears of a broader confrontation.
A War Without a Declaration
Analysts critical of US policy argue that the conflict did not begin this year. They point to decades of intervention, starting with Washington’s support for a failed coup against President Hugo Chávez in 2002, followed by a tightening web of economic sanctions.
Sanctions imposed from the mid-2000s onward, and significantly expanded in recent years, have had devastating humanitarian consequences. Multiple studies and UN reports have linked these measures to shortages of food, medicine, electricity and clean water, disproportionately affecting ordinary Venezuelans rather than political elites.
By 2019, sanctions were intensified as the US backed opposition figure Juan Guaidó’s attempt to unseat President Nicolás Maduro. While the political effort failed, the economic pressure continued, deepening the country’s social and economic crisis.
Human Cost of Economic Pressure
International experts have repeatedly warned that sanctions amount to a form of economic warfare. UN officials have reported rising food insecurity, outbreaks of previously controlled diseases and increased mortality linked to the collapse of public services. Millions of Venezuelans have been forced to leave their country, undertaking dangerous journeys in search of stability.
The contrast between US claims of fighting criminal networks and its broader regional policies has also drawn criticism, particularly as Washington maintains relationships with leaders elsewhere who have faced serious drug-related convictions.
From Sanctions to Direct Action
Recent authorisations for covert operations and the seizure of commercial vessels suggest a shift from indirect pressure to more overt confrontation. Critics argue that such steps undermine international law and diplomacy, while doing little to address the root causes of regional instability.
For many Venezuelans, the consequences are deeply personal. Families have been separated by migration, detention and deportation, leaving individuals caught between economic collapse at home and harsh enforcement abroad.
A Conflict Defined by Contradictions
As the US continues to justify its actions through claims of security and legality, opponents see a familiar pattern: moral arguments masking geopolitical interests, particularly around energy and regional influence.
Whether labelled as sanctions, enforcement or counter-narcotics operations, the reality on the ground for Venezuelans remains the same — a prolonged crisis shaped by external pressure and internal hardship. In that sense, critics argue, the war has already been waged for years, even without an official declaration.
Based on international commentary and analysis