Nicolás Maduro affirmed on Thursday that the United States wants to “steal” Venezuelan oilafter Donald Trump’s administration intercepted and confiscated a ship loaded with crude oil near the waters of the South American country.
“That’s why I say, yesterday their mask fell off (…) it’s the oil that they want to steal and Venezuela is going to defend its sovereignty over its natural resources and we are going to triumph again, the victory belongs to us today, tomorrow and forever,” said the president in an event in a commune in Caracas, broadcast by the state channel Venezolana de Televisión (VTV).
In addition, he denounced that the crew of the oil tanker intercepted and confiscated by the United States on Wednesday are “disappeared”, which is why he announced that the fact will be reported to international bodies to “secure” all their ships and guarantee free trade.
“Venezuela rejects in all its parts this action of criminal piracy against the entire Caribbean and I have already given sufficient instructions so that in all instances the due legal and diplomatic actions are taken and measures are taken because Venezuela is going to secure all ships to guarantee free trade of its oil in the world,” he added.
The president stated that the ship was carrying 1,900,000 barrels of oil that had been paid for, without specifying by whom, before leaving Venezuela.
The tanker, named Skipper and sailing under a false flag, was seized by order of a US judge for its previous links to Iranian oil smuggling, sanctioned by Washington, although on this occasion it was transporting Venezuelan crude, according to The New York Times.
This Wednesday, the White House reported that the tanker will be directed to a US port so that the crude oil can be requisitioned.
“The ship will go to a US port and the United States does intend to seize the oil. However, there is a legal process for the seizure of that oil, and that legal process will be followed,” White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said at a press conference.
According to Leavitt, the tanker is currently undergoing “a confiscation process” and the United States has an investigation team on board that is questioning the crew.
This episode increases tension between both countries after months of US military deployment in the Caribbean with the argument of combating drug trafficking for which Washington holds Maduro responsible, something that he denies.
Despite this, Maduro pointed out on Thursday that the destiny of the United States and Venezuela has to be “respect, friendship, cooperation,” which is why he asked American citizens to “tie the hands of the extremist, supremacist and war-mongering sectors.”
