Guess which nation has the most proven oil reserves? It isn’t Saudi Arabia, although the Saudis rank a close second. It isn’t Iran or Iraq either. In fact, the country with the largest proven oil reserves isn’t even in the Middle East. Canada has a lot of oil, and so does Russia, but neither one of them tops the list. At a whopping 303 billion barrels, the nation that currently possesses the most proven oil reserves is actually Venezuela…
Venezuela holds the largest proven crude oil reserves globally, estimated at approximately 303 billion barrels as of 2024. These reserves are predominantly located in the Orinoco Belt, containing extra-heavy crude oil that requires advanced extraction techniques.
Oil is what makes Venezuela important.
We are being told that we must go to war with Venezuela to stop the flow of illegal drugs, but the truth is that the amount of drugs coming into this country from Mexico absolutely dwarfs the amount of drugs coming into this country from Venezuela.
So if stopping the flow of drugs is the priority, why aren’t we going to war with Mexico?
We are also being told that Nicolas Maduro is a tyrant and that the elections in Venezuela are rigged.
Of course these days elections are rigged in lots of countries, and there are far worse tyrants than Maduro out there.
Kim Jong Un is one name that immediately comes to mind.
He is so tyrannical that he makes Nicolas Maduro look like Mother Theresa.
So why aren’t we going to war with North Korea?
If we are going to go to war, there needs to be a really good reason.
On Tuesday, President Trump told the world that the U.S. will be stopping all sanctioned oil tankers from traveling to or from Venezuela…
Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America. It will only get bigger, and the shock to them will be like nothing they have ever seen before — Until such time as they return to the United States of America all of the Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously stole from us. The illegitimate Maduro Regime is using Oil from these stolen Oil Fields to finance themselves, Drug Terrorism, Human Trafficking, Murder, and Kidnapping. For the theft of our Assets, and many other reasons, including Terrorism, Drug Smuggling, and Human Trafficking, the Venezuelan Regime has been designated a FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION. Therefore, today, I am ordering A TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS going into, and out of, Venezuela. The Illegal Aliens and Criminals that the Maduro Regime has sent into the United States during the weak and inept Biden Administration, are being returned to Venezuela at a rapid pace. America will not allow Criminals, Terrorists, or other Countries, to rob, threaten, or harm our Nation and, likewise, will not allow a Hostile Regime to take our Oil, Land, or any other Assets, all of which must be returned to the United States, IMMEDIATELY. Thank you for your attention to this matter!
Did you notice that President Trump repeatedly focused on the subject of oil throughout that Truth Social post?
Imposing a blockade is a very serious step, and a Justice Department memo from 1961 makes this very clear…
A Justice Department memo from 1961, when tensions were running high between the US and Cuba, said the president could institute a blockade of Cuba, but noted “a blockade is a belligerent act which, as a matter of international law, is ordinarily justified only if a state of war, legal or de facto, exists.”
Throughout human history, a naval blockade has always been considered to be an act of war.
Needless to say, the Venezuelans are absolutely furious…
The statement from Venezuela’s government decried the move, saying Trump “seeks to impose, in an absolutely irrational manner, a so-called naval military blockade on Venezuela with the aim of stealing the riches that belong to our Homeland.”
The government reaffirmed Venezuela’s sovereignty and said its ambassador to the United Nations “will immediately proceed to denounce this grave violation of International Law.”
It is not going to be a small job to enforce this blockade.
According to CNBC, there are currently 34 sanctioned oil tankers in the Caribbean…
At least 34 U.S.-sanctioned oil tankers with a history of carrying Venezuelan oil are currently at sea in the Caribbean, according to a new analysis obtained by CNBC on Wednesday.
And at least 12 of those tankers appear to be filled with crude oil from Venezuela, according to vessel location data from Kpler, a global trade intelligence company.
Are we just going to start grabbing all of them?
The oil that the tanker that the U.S. seized last week was carrying was reportedly worth somewhere between 60 million and 100 million dollars…
The “Skipper” was loaded with an estimated 1.8 million barrels of oil earlier in December before transferring an estimated 200,000 barrels just before its seizure, Reuters reported.
The oil on the tanker is likely worth $60 million to more than $100 million, based on current average oil prices. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for any additional comment on the estimated price tag of the oil but did not immediately receive a reply.
When we seize oil that has been produced by Venezuela, we aren’t just hurting Venezuela.
This is such a critical point.
In 2025, China has been purchasing approximately 76 percent of all the oil that is being exported by the Venezuelans…
Venezuela has produced around 900,000 barrels of crude oil and condensate so far in 2025, accounting for roughly 1% of the total global supply.
Kpler data indicates China buys about 76% of Venezuela’s output.
The Chinese need this oil.
Do you think that they are just going to sit there and let us steal vast amounts of oil that the Chinese economy depends on?
Following the announcement of the blockade, the Chinese accused the U.S. of “bullying” Venezuela…
China has accused the US of “bullying” Venezuela, after Donald Trump ordered a “total and complete” blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.
In a phone call on Wednesday, China’s foreign minister Wang Yi told his Venezuelan counterpart, Yvan Gil, that Beijing supported Caracas in defending its sovereignty.
If we keep going down this road, we are going to destroy our relationship with China.
Just imagine how we would feel if some other country started grabbing oil tankers that were bringing desperately needed oil to the United States.
There is not a president in history that would have hesitated to order military action.
But we just expect China to sit there and take it.
If we push the Chinese too far, it could have very serious consequences.
It is easy to imagine a scenario in which the Chinese decide that it is an opportune moment to invade Taiwan while U.S. forces are tied up with a regime change war in Venezuela.
And why in the world would anyone think that another regime change war is in our national interest?
Didn’t we learn anything from our misadventures in Afghanistan and Iraq?
2025 has certainly been a year of war, but a war in Venezuela would have the potential to take things to an entirely new level in 2026.
Let’s hope that cooler heads prevail.
Let’s hope that President Trump pulls us back from the brink before it is too late.
But from where I am sitting, it appears that the decisions have already been made.
Michael’s new book entitled “10 Prophetic Events That Are Coming Next” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.
About the Author: Michael Snyder’s new book entitled “10 Prophetic Events That Are Coming Next” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com. He has also written nine other books that are available on Amazon.com including “Chaos”, “End Times”, “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”. When you purchase any of Michael’s books you help to support the work that he is doing. You can also get his articles by email as soon as he publishes them by subscribing to his Substack newsletter. Michael has published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and he always freely and happily allows others to republish those articles on their own websites. These are such troubled times, and people need hope. John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” If you have not already done so, we strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.