Donald Trump announced a naval blockade this Tuesday, December 16th Venezuela which intensifies hostilities on the continent. “I’m ordering today total blockage of all oil tankers Anyone entering and leaving Venezuela will be sanctioned,” the US president wrote on his Truth Social platform, a few days after his country’s armed forces seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela.
The president added The US fleet concentrated in the Caribbean “will continue to grow” until the government of Nicolás Maduro “everyone returns to the United States of America.” the oil, land and other assets previously stolen from us“He did not specify which oil or land he was referring to or why it would be owned by the United States, but Venezuela nationalized its oil industry in the 1970s. Later, during the government of Hugo Chávez, the companies were forced to cede majority control to the Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA.”
Furthermore, Trump denounced that “The illegitimate Maduro regime is using oil from stolen fields to finance themselves, drug terrorism, human trafficking, murder and kidnapping. For stealing our assets and for many other reasons including Terrorism, drug trafficking and human trafficking“The Venezuelan regime has been designated a foreign terrorist organization.”
Authoritarians don’t like that
The practice of professional and critical journalism is a mainstay of democracy. That is why it bothers those who believe that they are the owners of the truth.
The US oil embargo is exacerbating Venezuela’s economic and currency weakness
Trump concluded his message with a warning: “The illegal immigrants and criminals that the Maduro regime sent to the United States during the weak and inept Biden administration will return to Venezuela. The United States will not allow, nor will it allow, criminals, terrorists, or other countries to steal, threaten, or harm our nation.” A hostile regime is confiscating our oilour lands or other assets, all of which must be immediately returned to the United States.”
The Venezuelan government defined as “grotesque threat” the blockade announced by Trump. In a statement, he said: “The President of the United States intends to get something done absolutely irrational an alleged military naval blockade of Venezuela with the The goal is to steal our country’s wealth“.
On December 10, Washington seized a Treasury-sanctioned tanker that had just left Venezuela full of oil. stick with the ship and the crude oil. The Maduro government defined the incident as a “blatant theft”. According to the American version, the seized ship was linked to Iran and Hezbollah.
In parallel with these measures Trump announced sanctions against six companies for the transport of crude oil and six tankers. Francisco Monaldi, director of the Latin American Energy Program at the Baker Institute (Texas), told the agency AFP what this decision represents “A very significant escalation.”
Explaining that the six ships were in Venezuelan ports at the time the measure was spread, the expert explained: “they are waiting for you (every ship) Leave the country to stop him. That, coupled with the fact that some ships may literally say, “I’m not going back to Venezuela,” may lead to there being one Decrease in both price and export quantity. Although exports are falling, Venezuela’s problem is that it does not have enough capacity to store crude oil. So, has to stop production or close a certain part of production.”
Because he is internationally isolated, Maduro has to use the ships loading crude oil in Venezuela Value much lower than market and then sell it, avoiding the financial penalties. Currently, Caracas produces about 930,000 barrels per day most go to China.
Venezuela siege: Trump expected “ground attacks to continue, which are easier”
The United States has a large flotilla stationed in the Caribbean and Pacific, led by her Aircraft carrier “USS Gerald Ford”the largest in the world, the would allow him to block the ports to oil traffic for as long as he wantswhich would cause serious problems for the Chavista government. “If there are no oil exports, the country’s foreign exchange market and imports will be affected… There could be an economic crisis,” he told the AFP Elías Ferrer of Orinoco Research, a Venezuelan consulting firm. “Not just one Recession, but also food and medicine shortagesbecause we couldn’t import.”
So far, the U.S. military has only attacked ships in international waters that it claims are smuggling drugs, killing at least 95 people in what many experts consider extrajudicial killings. But tensions have been rising for weeks as Trump pushes ahead with his intention to launch one Military action in Venezuelain which he ominously declared that the country’s airspace should be considered “closed” and that efforts should be made to stop drug trafficking “on land” They would begin soon.
The (oil) connection that connects the United States and Venezuela
The Trump administration the license renewed than the previous mandate, led by the Democrat Joe Biden commissioned the oil company Chevron to work in Venezuelaa country that has enormous gas and oil reserves. The American company is responsible for the production and sale of the crude oil thanks to the agreement signed, which allows a significant part of Venezuelan production to be exempted from the sanctions that currently weigh on it.
Bill Turenne, a company spokesman, told the AFP that, despite the new measures ordered by Trump, “Chevron operations in Venezuela continue without interruption and in full compliance with the laws and regulations applicable to its business and the sanctions regime of the United States Government.”
Chevron represents 10% of Venezuelan state production thanks to a joint venture with state oil company PDVSA. But after licensing changes implemented by the Trump administration Chevron can now only export 50% this corresponds to this “joint venture”. The other 50% of Venezuela must try to export it themselves.
The United States has launched a national security strategy for Latin America and strengthened its hegemony over China and Russia
It is estimated that Venezuela did this Oil reserves of about 303 billion barrelsaccording to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, more than any other nation. From Iraq to the Gulf War, the United States has a distinct past Invasions of countries with large oil reservesunder false ideological and political-economic arguments.
Trump recently presented a new National Security Strategy for Latin America, in which a central part appears: the “Trump conclusion of the Monroe Doctrine”an update (of the fateful “America for Americans”) that seeks to restore America’s neo-colonial supremacy in Latin America in the face of the advance of China, Russia and other extra-hemispheric actors.
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