Former Deputy National Security Advisor Victoria Coates told Fox News Live that the second Trump term is already exerting what she called “maximum pressure 2.0” on the Maduro regime and on Iran — a phrase that signals a return to unapologetic American strength on the world stage. Her comments, aired on January 1, 2026, reflect an administration deliberately pivoting from the appeasement and dithering of recent years toward concrete actions that choke off enemy revenue streams. This is not rhetorical saber-rattling; it’s a declared strategy to back American policy with real instruments of power.
That strategy has teeth: U.S. forces seized a very large oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela in December 2025 after a federal seizure warrant, an operation the administration says targeted a vessel used in sanctioned oil transfers tied to Iran. Attorney General Pam Bondi publicly posted video of the boarding, and officials framed the action as part of disrupting illicit maritime networks that bankroll hostile regimes and terrorist proxies. Whether critics call it bold or brazen, the seizure demonstrated a willingness to enforce sanctions on the high seas and deny kleptocratic regimes the lifeblood of petrodollars.
Washington didn’t stop with one vessel: follow-up operations and attempts to interdict other tankers have been reported, and newspapers and international outlets describe a de facto campaign to quarantine sanctioned oil shipments. The Financial Times and others have documented U.S. moves to pursue additional vessels and to tighten enforcement around Venezuela’s shadow fleet, measures that could sharply reduce Maduro’s ability to loot national resources. This calibrated pressure — economic, legal, and naval — is exactly what breaks corrupt regimes that depend on a narrow set of exports.
From a conservative national-interest perspective, this approach is exactly what Americans should want: use our military, law enforcement, and legal tools to stop narco-traffickers and Iran-linked actors from profiting on the backs of oppressed Venezuelans and from exporting chaos to our hemisphere. Energy independence and a secure Western Hemisphere are not luxury issues; they are core security priorities, and choking off illicit oil revenue undercuts Maduro while shrinking Tehran’s reach. Far from endless nation-building, this is hard-headed pressure designed to create leverage and degrade hostile networks without permanent occupation.
Yes, Caracas and its allies are howling about “piracy” and theft — predictable shrieks from regimes that profit from lawlessness — but the United States has pointed to sealed warrants and long-running sanctions enforcement as the legal basis for its actions. International law debates will play out in the papers, but the practical reality is stark: when rogue actors exploit loopholes and spoof vessel identities to bankroll terrorism and trafficking, enforcement becomes necessary. The administration is choosing enforcement over excuses, and that clarity of purpose is a welcome change from the muddled restraint we saw from coastal elites.
If sustained, this “maximum pressure 2.0” could be a massive strategic win — not for politicians, but for American security and for stability in the hemisphere. The lesson is simple: strength backed by law and action deters enemies and protects national interests; weakness invites exploitation. The American government finally looks willing to do the hard work of enforcing rules, and conservatives should cheer a policy that puts country, borders, and security first rather than appeasing autocrats and their commercial enablers.
