washington has stepped up pressure on Venezuela, intercepting a second commercial vessel in international waters and imposing sanctions on individuals linked to the Maduro regime. The moves come amidst growing regional tensions and warnings from Brazil’s President Lula da Silva of a potential humanitarian disaster should military intervention occur. The U.S. maintains the actions are targeted at disrupting a corruption network fueling the Venezuelan government, while Caracas decries them as acts of theft and aggression.
U.S. forces have intercepted a second commercial vessel off the coast of Venezuela in international waters, according to two U.S. officials. The move comes as Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva warned that military intervention in Venezuela would be a humanitarian disaster.
One official stated that the vessel complied with orders and allowed U.S. forces to board. The incident adds to escalating tensions in the region as the United States increases pressure on the Venezuelan government.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Navy units supported the Coast Guard in seizing an oil tanker off Venezuela. According to a U.S. official, the White House wants the Coast Guard’s involvement to provide legal cover for the seizure, framing it as a law enforcement action rather than an act of war.
Earlier Saturday, three U.S. officials told Reuters that the United States was working to intercept a sanctioned vessel off the Venezuelan coast in international waters. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not disclose the operation’s location but confirmed the Coast Guard was leading the effort.
The U.S. announced Friday it was imposing sanctions on seven individuals close to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, as well as some of their family members.
The State Department said the sanctions target what it called a corruption structure linked to drug trafficking that supports the Maduro regime. The new sanctions specifically target individuals connected to Maduro’s nephew, Carlos Erik Malpica Flores, and Panamanian businessman Ramón Carreteiro Napolitano, due to their ties to the Venezuelan government.
Those sanctioned include Maduro’s sister-in-law and other relatives of Malpica Flores, as well as two close family members of Carreteiro Napolitano. The administration stated it is determined to dismantle the network of individuals supporting Maduro and his government. As a result of the sanctions, any assets held by the individuals in the United States will be frozen.
The development underscores growing regional tensions and the U.S.’s increasingly assertive stance toward Venezuela.
Meanwhile, Brazilian President Lula da Silva warned Saturday that “armed intervention in Venezuela would be a humanitarian disaster,” speaking at a conference in southern Brazil.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday ordered a blockade of all oil tankers subject to sanctions entering or leaving Venezuela, the latest move by Washington to increase pressure on Maduro’s government.
Lula and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, leaders of the two largest economies in Latin America, had already urged restraint last week as tensions mounted.
Lula issued a stronger statement Saturday, describing the potential intervention as a “dangerous precedent for the world.” He added that after more than 40 years since the Falklands War between Argentina and Britain, “the South American continent is once again experiencing anxiety over the presence of a military force from outside the region.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that the U.S. is determined to change the situation in Venezuela, stating that the current state of the Venezuelan regime is unacceptable to Washington.
Brazilian Warning
In a related development, Trump appointed a Marine general as the new commander of U.S. Southern Command, replacing an admiral who reportedly criticized strikes on boats suspected of drug trafficking off Venezuela’s coast.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper announced Friday in a Pentagon statement that Trump appointed Marine Gen. Francis L. Donovan to head U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), responsible for Central and South America, overseeing the ongoing U.S. military deployment in the Caribbean Sea.
Donovan is currently the deputy commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, according to the Defense Department, and his appointment must be confirmed by the Senate before he assumes his new duties.
He will replace Adm. Alvin Holsey, who announced in mid-October he would leave his post on December 12.
U.S. media reports revealed that Holsey had expressed reservations about the Pentagon’s strikes on boats in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean.
The U.S. has deployed a large naval fleet in the Caribbean Sea since the summer with the stated goal of combating drug trafficking in Latin America, and has carried out a number of strikes on boats coming from Venezuela suspected of carrying drugs. Experts, NGOs, and U.S. officials have questioned the legality of these operations.
U.S. Military Commander for the Caribbean
On Friday, Trump stated he does not rule out the possibility of a military operation against Venezuela, following his order to seize all sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers.
Trump previously stated that the United States may launch ground attacks against Venezuela, and that these attacks would begin soon.
Venezuelan officials condemned the U.S. seizure of an oil tanker off the country’s coast as “outright theft,” and affirmed they will take the matter to international authorities.
Tensions between the United States and Venezuela have escalated recently, and Trump issued an executive order in August increasing the use of the military under the pretext of “combating drug gangs in Latin America.”
In this context, Washington announced the deployment of a large naval fleet to the Caribbean Sea, and carried out a number of strikes on boats coming from Venezuela suspected of carrying drugs.
