President Donald Trump has announced the imposition of a secondary tariff on Venezuela, aiming to penalize any country that purchases oil or gas from the South American nation. This measure, set at 25%, goes into effect on April 2, a date the White House refers to as “Liberation Day in America.”

Explaining the rationale behind the decision, Trump alleged that Venezuela “has purposefully and deceitfully sent to the United States, undercover, tens of thousands of high-level, and other, criminals,” including members of the gang Tren de Aragua, which has been designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization.

“We are in the process of returning them to Venezuela,” Trump stated, emphasizing that the plan involves multiple law enforcement agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security and the Border Patrol.

Critics argue that this secondary tariff effectively penalizes all countries doing business with Venezuela. As a top oil exporting country, Venezuela’s tariff is effectively a 25% levy on the whole world.

Observers have also noted that previous US sanctions have sometimes been diluted by waivers or revisions, with some elucidating that the unpredictability around trade policy has led senior executives to reduce capital spending by at least 5-10%. If waivers do not materialize, many expect oil prices to climb.

Industry expert Christine Guerrero predicted a potential spike, noting that “If this [Executive Order] has teeth, expect oil to climb from here as >300kbopd of Venezuelan crude exports get stranded…moving to >500kbopd in May.”

While the US has imposed sanctions on Venezuelan entities in the past, this secondary tariff marks the first time that Washington has threatened to extend penalties to nations importing Venezuelan oil, a move that could spark a chain reaction in global trade relationships.

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