President Donald Trump said Tuesday he was ordering a “total and complete blockade” of sanctioned oil tankers coming to and leaving from Venezuela, ratcheting up pressure against leader Nicolás Maduro’s regime and suggesting an economic motive to the US’ military campaign in the region.

Chevron is flying employees from Caracas to its oil production sites in Venezuela despite a US warning that air travel in the region may be unsafe due to military satellite interference.

Chevron Corp. is currently engaged in talks with the Trump administration over its Venezuelan operations, with Chief Executive Officer Mike Wirth emphasizing that its continued presence there is beneficial to U.

Venezuela's state-run oil company PDVSA has been subject to a cyberattack, it said on Monday, adding its operations were unaffected, even though four sources said systems remained down and oil cargo deliveries were suspended.