Venezuela Vows Retaliation After US Seizes Oil Tanker, Files UN Complaint
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, Venezuela has declared that the US operation to seize an oil tanker in its territorial waters will not go unanswered. The government in Caracas announced plans to file a formal complaint with the United Nations Security Council regarding the incident.
The Venezuelan government strongly condemned what it described as the theft and hijacking of another private vessel carrying Venezuelan oil, calling it a clear violation of international law and an assault on the nation’s sovereignty.
Bloomberg News identified the seized vessel as a Panama-flagged supertanker owned by Chinese interests that was intercepted by US forces near Venezuelan waters.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hagst stated that the blockade of sanctioned oil tankers bound to or from Venezuela would continue with full force. The Department of Defense, in coordination with the Coast Guard, will maintain rigorous maritime surveillance operations to dismantle criminal networks, he added.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Nom confirmed that the US Coast Guard, with Pentagon support, seized an oil tanker on Saturday that had last docked in Venezuela. Defending actions that Caracas has labeled as maritime piracy, Nom claimed the operation targeted the trafficking of sanctioned oil that allegedly funds drug terrorism in the region.
