Venezuela faces a fresh financial shock after the U.S. seized a sanctioned oil tanker off its coast, a move that could choke off one of the few remaining revenue streams for a nation again on the brink of hyperinflation.

The socialist-run country’s economy has been strained since Donald Trump tightened oil-trading restrictions earlier this year. The government’s supply of dollars, almost all tied to crude sales, had already fallen 30% in the first ten months of 2025. The squeeze has pressured the exchange rate and driven up prices, with annual inflation expected to top 400% by year’s-end, according to private estimates from local economists who requested anonymity for fear of reprisal.

Once one of the Latin America’s richest countries, Venezuela has suffered a prolonged economic meltdown

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