Venezuela calls Trump admin’s seizure of tanker ‘an act of international piracy’ and claims its being targeted for oil
Venezuela accuses US of ‘piracy’ after oil tanker seizure
- U.S. forces seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, an action Donald Trump described as the “largest one ever seized.”
- Attorney General Pam Bondi indicated the tanker was transporting sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran, while Caracas condemned the seizure as an “international act of piracy” driven by a desire for their natural resources.
- The Venezuelan government said in a statement that the “true reasons for the prolonged aggression against Venezuela” had finally been revealed, claiming it has “always been about our natural resources, our oil, our energy, the resources that belong exclusively to the Venezuelan people.”
- This incident forms part of the Trump administration's intensified pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, including naval buildups and accusations of drug trafficking.
- The administration's aggressive stance has drawn criticism from some U.S. lawmakers, who have warned against an illegal new war and questioned the legality of military strikes.