US President stated that he will take charge of the ship, which was also used by Iran; amid escalating tension, republican warned Gustavo Petro about Colombia
The president tightened the tourniquet on this Wednesday (10) when he seized a sanctioned oil tanker that was used by Caracas and Tehran, an operation classified as “blatant robbery” by the government of . “We just seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, a large oil tanker, the largest ever seized, in fact,” Trump told reporters during an event at the White House.
The tanker was used for years by Venezuela and Iran to transport oil, despite international sanctions against the two countries, detailed US Attorney General Pam Bondi in a later message on the X network. The publication is accompanied by a video in which it is possible to see a group of military personnel descending from helicopters and approaching the ship on the high seas.
Responsible for a strong campaign against the government of Nicolás Maduro since returning to the White House, Trump added: “I assume we will stay with oil.” “Venezuela strongly denounces and repudiates what constitutes a blatant theft and an act of international piracy,” stated the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry.
‘Days numbered’
Trump considered that Maduro’s days were “numbered” in a recent interview with the Politico website.
Venezuela’s main resource is oil, which is subject to an embargo, which forces the South American country to place its production on the parallel market at considerably lower prices, destined mainly for Asian countries.
Washington also accuses the Maduro government of being a “narco-terrorist” regime and, therefore, began a military campaign to destroy what it presents as boats loaded with drugs in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean.
The operation, carried out with an unprecedented naval and air force, includes the largest aircraft carrier in the world, the USS Gerald R. Ford. So far, the campaign has recorded more than 20 attacks and at least 87 deaths.
While Trump announced the seizure, Maduro participated in a rally in front of a crowd of supporters in Caracas. “From Venezuela we ask and demand an end to the illegal and brutal interventionism of the United States government in Venezuela and Latin America,” declared the Chavista leader.
‘Get Smart’
Trump’s defiant announcement came after the daughter of the main Venezuelan opponent, María Corina Machado, received the Prize given to her mother in Oslo.
The opponent, in hiding since the 2024 elections, allegedly won by Maduro, was unable to leave Venezuela in time to receive the award in person this Wednesday, and arrived a day later in Oslo, announced the Nobel Committee. Corina Machado should, in principle, return to the country after her schedule and tributes in the Norwegian capital.
“I wouldn’t like her to be detained, I wouldn’t be happy,” Trump said in response to questions from journalists at the White House.
Another source of tension in the region is the relationship with Colombia, which for decades was the United States’ main ally in the fight against drugs in Latin America, but now openly confronts Washington.
The Colombian president “is going to get into big trouble if he doesn’t watch out,” declared the 79-year-old Republican. “Colombia is producing a lot of drugs,” he said.
Trump has reiterated, in recent months, that the military campaign against the “narco-terrorist” cartels will begin “very soon” on land, in reference to Venezuela or other countries in the region. “He better watch out, or he’ll be next. I hope he’s listening,” he said.
“This terrible misinformation (…) leads him to phrases and actions that cannot be exercised over a democratically elected president”, replied Petro during a council of ministers.
Asked if he would be willing to call Petro, as he did with Maduro, Trump replied: “I didn’t think much about it.”
*With information from AFP
Published by Nícolas Robert
