(AFP) — The United States (US) on Thursday imposed sanctions against relatives of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and six companies shipping the South American country’s oil.
The move came as the White House said it will bring an oil tanker seized by American forces off the Venezuelan coast to a port in the United States, adding to growing fears of open conflict between the two countries.
President Donald Trump’s administration has been piling pressure on Venezuela for months, with a major naval buildup in the region that has been accompanied by deadly strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats, killing nearly 90 people.
In a dramatic raid this week that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said was aimed at Maduro’s “regime,” Washington took control of the tanker, with US forces roping down from a helicopter onto the vessel.Caracas condemned the raid as “an act of international piracy.”
Russian leader Vladimir Putin expressed support on Thursday during a phone call with his ally Maduro, but with Moscow’s forces tied down in a grinding war in Ukraine, its capacity to provide aid is limited.The US Treasury announced sanctions against three nephews of Maduro’s wife Cilia Flores, labeling two of them “narco-traffickers operating in Venezuela”.
“Nicolas Maduro and his criminal associates in Venezuela are flooding the United States with drugs that are poisoning the American people,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.
Six companies shipping Venezuelan oil were also slapped with sanctions.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told journalists that the seized tanker “will go to a US port and the United States does intend to seize the oil”.
“We’re not going to stand by and watch sanctioned vessels sail the seas with black-market oil, the proceeds of which will fuel narco-terrorism of rogue and illegitimate regimes around the world.”The tanker was expected to dock in Galveston, Texas, two unnamed US officials told NBC News, adding that the crew would be released upon arrival.
Noem told a congressional hearing earlier on Thursday that the tanker operation was “pushing back on a regime that is systematically covering and flooding our country with deadly drugs” — a reference to US allegations of narcotics smuggling by Maduro’s government.
A video released Wednesday by US Attorney General Pam Bondi showed American forces descending from a helicopter onto the tanker’s deck, then entering the ship’s bridge with weapons raised.
Bondi said the ship was part of an “illicit oil shipping network” that was used to carry sanctioned oil.
Venezuela’s foreign ministry said it “strongly denounces and condemns what constitutes blatant theft and an act of international piracy.”
“They kidnapped the crew, stole the ship and have inaugurated a new era, the era of criminal naval piracy in the Caribbean,” Maduro said at an event on Thursday.
“Venezuela will secure all ships to guarantee the free trade of its oil around the world,” he added.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday expressed concern over the escalating tensions and urged restraint.
“We are calling on all actors to refrain from action that could further escalate bilateral tensions and destabilise Venezuela and the region,” his spokesperson said.Citing unnamed officials, the Washington Post reported that Washington was likely to seize more tankers off the Venezuelan coast.
US media reported that the seized tanker had been heading for Cuba — another American rival — and that the ship was stopped by the US Coast Guard.
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TRUMPSKI!!!!!!! YEAH!!!! MA BOY!!!!!!!! SANCTION DEM!!!!!! STEP DOWN MADURO BEFORE A REAPER DRONE PRECISION BOMBS UR LOCATION…..
Will we live to see the day when as the Rastas say Babylon will FALL?
I really wish it happens in my lifetime.
Are the Hoties free to seize any ships going to Israel now?
Gaston & Co can confiscate all Venezuelan assets in Antigua and auction them off to America, as a part of the WTO Gaming Settlement. The State Department and Trump would surely agree!
BTW – where is China in all this?
Since, this WAR by the Trump administration is definitely about Venezuela’s oil/resources, and the fact, that China and Venezuela have signed agreements, to the point where China (CCRC – China Concord Resources Corp) recently deployed a floating/jack-up rig, Alula (interesting name – spelled the same backwards or forwards), in Venezuela’s Lake Maracaibo.
Now, since Trump is already grabbing oil, if he’s the baddest, he should take out this rig and see what China does! Probably, not a damn thing but so called DIPLOMACY DIPLOMACY, when Americans are boldly displaying, open PIRACY.
Pirates of The Caribbean- 21st Century Version.
Crude Oil is also a drug! A Drug which American Billionaires are addicted to and will continue to maim, kill, execute anyone in their way to control it. Same play from the GANGSTERS of Jekyll Island, off Georgia, America.
At least, the Black Four Star General wasn’t going to be, the Fall Guy for the US CONGRESS, the WEF – World Economic Forum like Colon was in the Iraq War to steal Iraq oil and murder SADdam!
Jumbee_Picknee aka Ras Smood
De’ole Dutty Peg🦶🏿Garrat_Bastard
Vere Edwards
@ Less We Forget….I am going to assume u know the Babylon means contemptuous or dismissive term for aspects of society seen as degenerate or oppressive, especially the police……The day Babylon fall will be a world wide Haiti situation…Do you wish that for the world? Do you wish that for this Nation? Do you wish that to be the reality future for yourself, children and grandchildren????
America has been fighting communism from since the second world war ended and even though the Soviet Union ended in 1989…The Russian Federation today is still a threat as we see in Ukraine so when u have a dictator ruling a country with oil in the same Hemisphere as the United States its RED FLAG….Maduro is an economical threat to the region and he could become a security threat especially for neighboring countries in the future……HE MUST GO!!!!
@ Jumbee_Picknee aka Ras Smood
You are getting too esoteric for me. I’m just a simple minded traveling up 95 a few hours from you
In these matters I see CARICOM ( a failing institution ) as a victim of all this triangulation. They lack togetherness and the ability to address the regional population needs.
Fuel and healthcare are among our basic needs
In the mean times the geniuses Gaston Browne and Cutie Benjamin promised a Law School at UWI Five Islands, while the entire Caribbean is dependent on the Cuban Medical Brigade.
Trump is stsngling Venezuela and Marco Rubio is slowly putting a noose around the neck of Cuba neck as they take Venezuela’s oil. Cuba is dependent on Venezuela oil, so is WIOC and many other CARICOM
We can’t make too much noise for Gaston Browne and his diplomatic corps frequently jaunts around all corner of the world creaming about global warming and its effect on small island states.
To Gaston and Chet: How about a Health Science School where you pay the graduates a competive wage so they stay at home rather than migrating
The cry about fossil fuel rings hollow when we are dedicating the LPG terminal at Crabbs.
PDV Cab may soon be sanctioned. If it makes the sanctioned list by Trump then their goes there WIOC
It’s amazing how easy and quick it is to lay sanction on a country yet when it comes to Russia, all we have are a lot of mouth pieces, while Russia continues to bomb and reject every offer of any peace deal. Keep in mind Russia started this war and can easily stop it if they want. The US is now heading down that same road with Venezuela, but instead of capturing land, easy oil might be their goal.
@Carvaa Russia are actually under sanctions which is why they sell oil to India and then India sell the oil to EU the real hypocrisy is 0 sanctions on Israel.
@this world is a messed up place, I really hope you’re american because no one should care about Venezuela selling oil cheaply and avoids the price fixing oil cartels normal organise. Why should we care Venezuela being a economical threat to US it sure as hell isn’t to the Caribbean they even sold oil to nations like Trinidad?
Why wasn’t the Honduras dictator that Trump pardoned a red flag and the US actively worked with him?
Why did US did nothing in Venezuela before Chevez but only after he won they tried to coup him multiple time and what Chevez did he free them and said forgiveness that whole event even documented by an Irish news company that was there because they were going to interview him when that even happened and you can see how what happened in reality vs how the US displayed it on the news at the time?
America is the biggest babylon every time and Independent and sovereign country tries to rise up and decide it’s own faith they are always on the counter revolution side to oppress the people it happened time and time again all over the world, there isnt a region free of America’s slimy greedy hands. Just look up the US involvement in regime change in Latin America
Also to correct you the USSR dissolved in 1991 not 89 same year referendum which the 70% of the citizens in the USSR voted no when asked if to dissolve the USSR and one year before the US implemented to blockage on Cuba which restricts trade and even suspends ships from entering US port for 3 months if they did any business with Cuba.
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