WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he has ordered a total blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers traveling to and from Venezuela, escalating a months-long pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

"Today, I am ordering a total and complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers going into, and out of, Venezuela," Trump said in a post on his social media Truth Social.

Trump also said that the Venezuelan government has been designated "a foreign terrorist organization," accusing it of involvement in crimes including terrorism, drug smuggling and human trafficking.

Claiming that the United States "will not allow a hostile regime to take our oil, land, or any other assets," he demanded that Venezuela return to the United States all assets he said "that they previously stole from us." Enditem