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2025-12-17 09:36:52
[Trump's Blockade of Venezuelan Oil Tankers Sparks Supply Concerns, International Oil Prices Rebound Over 1%] 1. On Wednesday in Asian trading, international oil prices rebounded from recent lows. US crude oil rose as much as 1.58% to $56.00 per barrel, while Brent crude is currently trading at $59.42 per barrel, up about 1%. This rise was mainly driven by geopolitical tensions. 2. US President Trump ordered a "complete and thorough" blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela on Tuesday, and designated the Venezuelan regime as a "foreign terrorist organization." This move directly targets Venezuela's key oil revenue source and is expected to significantly escalate tensions between the US and Venezuela. 3. Trump stated on his social media platform that the decision was based on the Venezuelan regime's "theft of assets" and involvement in "terrorism, drug trafficking, and human trafficking." 4. Currently, the Trump administration has not yet clearly disclosed the specific methods for implementing this blockade order. In recent months, the US has deployed thousands of military personnel and nearly ten warships to the region, including an aircraft carrier. The previous week, the US had seized a sanctioned oil tanker in waters near Venezuela to increase pressure on the Maduro government. 5. US crude oil prices fell to near a five-year low overnight, mainly influenced by factors such as progress in Russia-Ukraine peace talks. Supply concerns triggered by the lockdown temporarily reversed the downward trend in oil prices. 6. A significant drop in API crude oil inventories also provided some upward momentum for oil prices. The latest data shows that API crude oil inventories decreased by 9.32 million barrels last week, the largest weekly decline since June.
