In a significant escalation of Caribbean tensions, President Nicolas Maduro has ordered Venezuela’s navy to escort oil tankers departing the country’s eastern coast for the high seas. The maneuver serves as a direct challenge to the maritime blockade announced earlier this week by United States President Donald Trump, who has vowed to intercept sanctioned vessels trading with Venezuela.

The decision to deploy military escorts follows a week of rising hostilities, sparked when U.S. special forces neutralized a Venezuelan tanker in the Caribbean. Describing the seized vessel as “big, very big,” President Trump justified the measure on Wednesday, stating, “They took our rights. We had a lot of oil there. They kicked out our companies, and we want it back.”