Washington: The United States is continuing to put pressure on Venezuela by ordering its military to focus on blocking Venezuela’s oil trade for at least two months. The U.S. government believes that the Venezuelan economy will face a severe catastrophe by the end of January next year if it does not make concessions to the U.S.

According to Thai News Agency, the order indicates that the U.S. government is focusing on using economic measures to pressure Venezuela rather than military force. The U.S. hopes that economic sanctions will be as effective as intended, even though President Donald Trump remains vague about his specific targets for Venezuela. It is believed, however, that Trump wants to pressure Venezuelan President Nicol¡s Maduro to flee the country. On Monday, Trump stated that Maduro stepping down would be a wise decision.

Despite focusing on economic sanctions, the United States has not ruled out the possibility of military action against Venezuela. Trump has repeatedly threatened to attack Venezuela’s drug production facilities and has authorized the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to conduct covert operations in Venezuela, targeting Caracas. Currently, the US is also continuing its massive deployment of over 15,000 troops in the Caribbean, along with a full complement of warships and fighter jets.

This month, the U.S. Coast Guard has seized two Venezuelan oil tankers and is in pursuit of a third, following Trump’s December 16th order banning all sanctioned oil tankers from entering or leaving Venezuela. However, United Nations experts condemned the blockade, stating that the use of force constitutes illegal armed aggression.