Maduro urges peace after Trump orders blockade of sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro spoke at a public event in Caracas on Tuesday (December 16) and urged peace while accusing the United States of trying to seize Venezuela's natural resources.

Maduro said oil workers should organize an international, sustained protest to defend free trade for Venezuelan oil, and he rejected U.S. allegations of drug trafficking as "fake news." "Imperialism and the fascist right want to colonize Venezuela to take over its wealth of oil, gas, gold, among other minerals. We have sworn absolutely to defend our homeland and in Venezuela peace will triumph," he added.

Later on Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered what he described as a "total and complete blockade" of sanctioned oil tankers going into and out of Venezuela, according to a post he made on Truth Social.

Trump's post came a week after the U.S. seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, the latest step in a pressure campaign on the government of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, who Trump has blamed for drugs entering the U.S.

Trump's campaign has included a ramped-up military presence in the region and more than two dozen military strikes on vessels in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea near Venezuela, which have killed at least 90 people.

Trump has also said that U.S. land strikes on the South American country will soon start.