Jakarta, hitclubapk3 Indonesia
—
United States Personnel (
US
) boarded and seized a ship off the coast
Venezuela
on Saturday (20/12).The incursion was the second known incident by the US near Venezuela this month and came after US President Donald Trump this week announced he was imposing a “blockade” on sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving the country.
The US seized a large oil tanker named Skipper, which had been sanctioned for its ties to Iran, on December 10.
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT
Although Trump’s directive this week targeted sanctioned tankers, the ship seized by the US on Saturday was not under US sanctions, a US official familiar with the matter said.
hitclubapk3
.This confiscation was not opposed by the tanker crew.
The ship was a Panama-flagged tanker carrying Venezuelan oil, according to the official, and was ultimately destined for Asia.
Saturday’s operation was led by the US Coast Guard, with assistance from the US military, and took place in international waters, the official said.
US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, whose agency includes the Coast Guard, posted a seven-minute video to social media Saturday afternoon showing a helicopter hovering over the tanker.
He wrote that the tanker was captured in a “dawn action” by the Coast Guard with support from the Department of Defense and explained that the ship was last docked in Venezuela.
“The United States will continue to pursue the illegal movement of sanctioned oil used to fund drug terrorism in the region,” he said.
Meanwhile, Venezuela’s Foreign Minister announced on Saturday that Iran was offering cooperation to confront what he described as “acts of piracy” and “international terrorism” by the US government.
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said on Telegram that he spoke by telephone with Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, to review bilateral relations and discuss “recent developments in the Caribbean, especially threats” and “the theft of ships loaded with Venezuelan oil.”
Gil said that Tehran expressed “full solidarity” with Venezuela and offered cooperation “in all areas” to confront the US actions, which he said violated international law.
Combined with Trump’s threat to launch a ground attack on Venezuelan territory, the seizure of the ships has increased pressure on Caracas by targeting its vital economic lifeline, which was already under pressure after new sanctions on the oil sector earlier this year.
The US has for months waged a pressure campaign on Venezuela that has included the deployment of thousands of troops and an aircraft carrier strike group to the Caribbean, attacks on ships suspected of carrying drugs, and repeated threats against President Nicolás Maduro.
The US military has killed 104 people in attacks that destroyed 29 ships suspected of carrying drugs, attacks that the Trump administration has described as an effort to crack down on the flow of drugs and illegal migrants from Venezuela.
However, the move also represents a massive pressure campaign against Maduro, whose ouster, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, says is the administration’s true goal.
Trump’s announcement this week of a “blockade” also underscored the focus on the country’s oil, which he said the US should have access to if Maduro is ousted.
The state-owned oil company Petróleos de Venezuela controls the country’s oil industry.Houston-based Chevron is the only US company drilling in Venezuela and pays part of its output to PDVSA under sanctions exemption provisions.
Venezuela’s oil reserves are the world’s largest, but operate well below capacity due to international sanctions.Most of the country’s oil is sold to China.
Venezuela condemned the blockade earlier this week, calling it a “reckless and serious threat.”The country said it would continue to defend its sovereignty and national interests.
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez said in a statement Saturday that the country “rejects the theft and hijacking of new private vessels transporting Venezuelan oil” and that the country “will take all appropriate actions, including reporting this to the UN Security Council, other multilateral organizations and world governments.”
(fea)
[Gambas:hitclubapk3 Video]