President Donald Trump held a high-profile national security event alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at his Mar-a-Lago residence as tensions with Venezuela escalated sharply.

The gathering comes amid an expanding U.S. campaign to enforce sanctions and restrict Venezuelan oil shipments, actions that have drawn international scrutiny and raised the prospect of broader geopolitical repercussions.

Trump’s address, framed as a major strategic announcement, took place against the backdrop of mounting U.S. pressure on the government of President Nicolás Maduro, which the administration has accused of facilitating illicit drug trafficking and violating international norms through sanctioned oil exports.

The event is expected to highlight forthcoming steps in bolstering U.S. maritime and naval capabilities, including plans for an expanded support fleet and closer interagency coordination.

In recent weeks U.S. forces have intensified operations targeting oil tankers linked to Venezuela’s so-called “shadow fleet,” with the U.S. Coast Guard and Navy intercepting and pursuing multiple vessels in the Caribbean.

President Trump’s declaration of a “blockade” on sanctioned oil tankers has elicited strong responses from Caracas and allied governments, with calls that the measures resemble acts of piracy and provoke diplomatic tensions.

The Biden-era diplomatic landscape has shifted under Trump’s leadership, with broader enforcement measures now aimed at curbing revenue streams that Washington says finance organized crime and destabilize the region.

Trump's close advisers, including Rubio and Hegseth, have been at the forefront of coordinating civil and military policy approaches, arguing that decisive action is necessary to stem the flow of drugs into the United States and to challenge what they describe as authoritarian abuses by the Maduro regime.

While U.S. military and law enforcement officials defend the actions as lawful and targeted at illegal activity, Venezuelan authorities and some external observers assert that the measures risk escalating into broader conflict and could affect international trade and regional stability.

The mounting campaign reflects an intensification of U.S. foreign policy in Latin America and underscores the Trump administration’s willingness to leverage military, economic and diplomatic tools in pursuit of its strategic objectives toward Venezuela.