The United States intercepted and confiscated a sanctioned oil tanker in the waters off the coast of Venezuela, as confirmed by President Donald Trump himself. The incident comes as tension in the region is at its peak due to uncertainty over whether, as a threat, US President Donald Trump will eventually order military action against targets on the Caribbean country’s territory.
During a speech at a White House event, Trump said: “As you probably know, we just seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. » It is, he assured, a “very large ship, the largest ever seized, in fact”. “There are other things happening, which you will see later, and we will talk about them later with other people,” he added, without giving further details for now.
The incident came to light on the same day that the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony took place in Oslo to the leader of the Venezuelan opposition, María Corina Machado, who was not present.
To date, the flag of the tanker and the exact location where it was intercepted are unknown.
The United States has maintained a large military deployment in the international waters of the Caribbean since August, involving 15,000 troops and nearly 20% of the naval force that Washington has mobilized around the world. The stated aim is to expand the fight against drug trafficking within the framework of Operation “Lanza del Sur”, during which at least 22 suspected drug boats were bombed and at least 87 people were killed.
But Caracas, as well as many U.S. experts and lawmakers, believe the real reason for the campaign is to try to force the departure of Maduro and the end of the Chavista regime, and to allow U.S. companies to take control of Venezuela’s oil sector, the country’s main economic engine.
In an interview recorded Monday and published Tuesday on the online site Politico, Trump assured that the days of the Venezuelan leader in power “are numbered” and did not rule out sending American troops to that country. In a speech in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, the president reiterated his threats to take the campaign to Venezuelan soil. “By land, it’s easier… (and drug trafficking) is even more widespread,” he said.
Venezuela exported more than 900,000 barrels of oil per day last month, the third highest average monthly volume since the start of the year, according to Reuters data, which said state-owned PDVSA imported more gasoline to dilute its production of heavy crude. Its main customer is China, to which it sells at knockdown prices, given the competition it faces from two other producing countries also subject to strong sanctions: Russia and Iran.
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