Washington’s posture toward Venezuela dramatically escalated Tuesday with a full blockade of sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers announced by former President Donald Trump. The move, delivered via social media, comes amid ongoing disputes over oil revenue and allegations of illicit activity by the Maduro government, and follows the recent seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker earlier this month [[2]].Caracas has already lodged a formal protest with the United Nations, denouncing the action as theft and an act of piracy [[1]].
The United States has announced a full blockade of all sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers, escalating a deepening crisis between the two nations. The move, revealed by former President Donald Trump on his Truth Social platform Tuesday, signals a significant hardening of Washington’s stance toward Caracas.
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“Today, I am ordering a full and complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela,” Trump wrote. The announcement comes amid ongoing concerns about the Venezuelan government’s alleged involvement in illicit activities and its impact on regional stability.
Oil revenue is the primary source of income for Venezuela. Subject to an embargo since 2019, the country has been selling its oil on the black market at significantly lower prices, primarily to China.
Trump justified the blockade by alleging that the Nicolás Maduro regime is using oil revenue to finance “narcoterrorism, human trafficking, murder, and kidnapping.”
“Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest armada ever assembled in the history of South America,” the former president claimed, adding that the U.S. deployment would “only grow.”
“The shock they will experience will be unprecedented,” he warned.
Venezuela Protests to the UN
On Tuesday, Venezuela lodged a formal protest with the United Nations Security Council over what it called the “theft” of a Venezuelan oil tanker seized by the United States on December 10 following a military operation in the Caribbean.
U.S. officials maintain that the vessel was part of an “illicit network for shipping oil that supports foreign terrorist organizations.”
CAPTURE D’ÉCRAN TIRÉE DU COMPTE X DE LA PROCUREURE GÉNÉRALE DES ÉTATS-UNIS
U.S. soldiers seized the oil tanker on December 10.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has denounced the seizure as an “act of piracy,” claiming it proves the U.S. deployment is aimed at ousting him from power and seizing Venezuela’s oil reserves.
Washington has maintained a significant military presence in the Caribbean and Pacific since August, officially to combat drug trafficking destined for the United States.
Venezuela’s ambassador to the UN presented the Security Council with a letter in Spanish urging it to “publicly condemn this act of piracy promoted by a state, the illegal use of military force against a private vessel, and the theft of cargo from legitimate international trade.”
“They (the United States) illegally appropriated a cargo of Venezuelan oil corresponding to a regular commercial operation, legitimate and fully compliant with international law,” the letter from Caracas states, demanding the release of the “kidnapped” crew members and the “immediate restitution” of the cargo.
Sources indicate the vessel was carrying between 1 and 2 million barrels of Venezuelan crude oil, valued between $50 and $100 million.
The UN Security Council comprises 15 members: 10 non-permanent and 5 permanent members (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States), each holding veto power.
Venezuela, which holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves, currently produces just under one million barrels of oil per day, but has been forced to sell it on the black market at steep discounts since the imposition of an embargo in 2019.
U.S. Warns Airlines of Military Activity in Venezuela
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a new warning Tuesday to airlines operating in Venezuelan airspace, citing dangers related to military activity in the region.
The FAA urged aircraft to “exercise caution” due to the “deteriorating security situation and the intensification of military activities in Venezuela or its vicinity.”
PHOTO MARK SCHIEFELBEIN, ASSOCIATED PRESS
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford
A similar warning was issued last month.
On Monday, U.S. airline JetBlue reported an incident to authorities, stating that one of its pilots had to alter course to avoid a collision with a U.S. military refueling plane off the coast of Venezuela.
This warning comes against a backdrop of heightened tensions between the United States and Venezuela, with the U.S. military having mobilized significant forces around the Bolivarian Republic.
In late November, the FAA asked flights operating in the area around Venezuela to “exercise caution.”
The FAA cited “threats that could pose a risk to aircraft (commercial) at any altitude, whether in flight, landing, or takeoff.”
Agence France-Presse
