Venezuelan analyst Francisco Poleo R stated in an X post during the reporting window from 12:15 AM to 12:45 AM UTC on December 17, 2025, that President Donald Trump's order for a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers to and from Venezuela asserts no territorial claims, describing 'land' as rhetorical shorthand for oil and financial assets expropriated by the Chávez-Maduro regime. Poleo R emphasized in the post, shared via https://x.com/FranciscoPoleoR/status/2001082550555451433, that the United States holds no treaty, legal doctrine, or court ruling on Venezuelan territory, with the blockade grounded solely in arbitration awards and illicit oil sales financing the regime. X user InsiderGeo described Trump's action, in a separate post during the same window via https://x.com/InsiderGeo/status/2001084609652556156, as an attempt to force Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from power through pressure and military build-up, noting a prior similar effort failed to dislodge Maduro. InsiderGeo added that large-scale escalation carries credibility risks, requiring either action or withdrawal, amid Trump's blockade order announced in X posts between 11:45 PM UTC on December 16 and 12:15 AM UTC on December 17, as reported by accounts including @FaytuksNetwork and @SA_Defensa.
