Trump Keeps War Option on the Table, Hints at More U.S. Action Against Venezuela

U.S. President Donald Trump said he is not ruling out the possibility of war with Venezuela, according to an interview with NBC News published on Friday.

“I don’t rule it out, no,” Trump told NBC News during a phone interview.

Trump also hinted at further seizures of oil tankers near Venezuelan waters. Last week, the U.S. seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast.

“If they’re foolish enough to be sailing along, they’ll be sailing along back into one of our harbors,” Trump said.

On Tuesday, Trump ordered a “blockade” of all sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela, marking the latest step in Washington’s effort to ramp up pressure on Nicolás Maduro’s government by targeting its primary source of income. In response, the Venezuelan government rejected what it called Trump’s “grotesque threat.”

Trump’s pressure campaign on Maduro has included a stronger military presence in the region, as well as more than two dozen military strikes on vessels in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea near Venezuela, resulting in at least 90 deaths.

Trump has also previously stated that U.S. land strikes on Venezuela could begin soon.

In the NBC interview, Trump was asked if the removal of Maduro was his ultimate goal. He declined to answer directly, saying, “He knows exactly what I want.”

“He knows better than anybody,” Trump added, referring to Maduro. The interview did not provide further details.

Maduro has accused the U.S. of using its actions to try to overthrow him and seize control of Venezuela’s vast oil reserves, which are the largest in the world.