Venezuela condemns U.S. seizure of supertanker as act of piracy
The Venezuelan government has condemned the U.S. seizure of a large oil tanker off its coast, calling it “a blatant theft and an act of international piracy,” reports a Qazinform News Agency correspondent.
The incident has intensified tensions between Washington and Caracas amid an expanded U.S. military presence in the Caribbean.
Caracas rejected Washington’s justification, claiming the seizure exposes “the true reasons” for recent U.S. actions. “It is not migration. It is not drug trafficking. It is not democracy. It is not human rights,” the government said. “It has always been about our natural resources, our oil, our energy.” Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello accused the United States of acting as “murderers, thieves, pirates… high-seas criminals.”
President Nicolás Maduro told supporters in Caracas that citizens must be prepared “to smash the teeth of the North American empire if necessary,” arguing that U.S. strikes aim at regime change.
The tanker, identified by maritime analysts as the Skipper, had departed Venezuela’s main oil terminal with more than one million barrels of heavy crude. Guyana’s Maritime Administration said the ship was falsely flying the Guyana flag and was not registered in the country. U.S. officials believe the vessel was bound for Cuba.
The Department of Homeland Security released footage of armed forces boarding the tanker accompanied by LL Cool J’s song “Mama Said Knock You Out.” Its post stated: “If you threaten our nation, or break the law, there is no place on land or sea where we will not find you.”
Analysts warn that the seizure, the first of its kind in the current campaign, may signal steps toward an oil blockade. “Because Venezuela is so dependent on oil, they could not resist that very long,” said Mark Cancian of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “It would be an act of war.”
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that U.S. President Donald Trump announced at the end of November that the airspace above and around Venezuela should be considered “closed in its entirety,” marking a new escalation in tensions between Washington and the South American country.