Donald Trump does not rule out a war with Maduro's Venezuela. “He knows exactly what I want”
Donald Trump. Photo credit: CNP/ADM / Capital pictures / Profimedia
American President Donald Trump said on Friday that he does not rule out the possibility of a war with Venezuela, while the American military navy continues to attack near this country vessels that it claims are transporting drugs and imposed a maritime blockade against oil tankers docking in the ports of Venezuela, a country that the American president asked to return to the United States the oil properties nationalized decades ago, reports the EFE agency, taken over by Agerpres.
“I'm not ruling it out, no,” Trump said in a phone interview published by NBC News on Friday after being asked about the possibility of war with the country led by President Nicolas Maduro, whom the United States wants out of power.
Trump on Tuesday ordered the blockade of all US “sanctioned” oil tankers docking in Venezuela, a week after the United States simply seized one such vessel with its cargo of oil.
Such confiscations will continue, Trump indicated in the same interview, but declined to confirm whether the ultimate goal of his Venezuela strategy is to topple Maduro.
“He knows exactly what I want,” Trump said of Venezuela's president, whom he accuses of also running a drug cartel. “He knows better than anyone,” the US president insisted.
Trump wants access to Venezuelan oil
He previously accused Venezuela of having deprived American oil companies of the rights acquired in this country and wants their restitution. “Remember they took all our energy rights. They took all our oil not long ago. We want it back. They took it illegally (…) We want it back. They took our oil rights, although there is a lot of oil there, as you know, they kicked out our companies and we want it back,” Trump complained, referring to things that happened decades ago.
“Venezuela is completely surrounded.” What follows after the “total blockade” imposed on Venezuela by Trump, with “the largest army assembled in the history of South America”
The Venezuelan oil industry was nationalized on January 1, 1976, during the first presidency of Carlos Andres Perez, and the rights to explore and exploit the country's oil fields were reserved for the state-owned company Petrołleos de Venezuela (PDVSA).
In 2007, then-Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez changed oil industry rules to force foreign companies to become minority partners in PDVSA or withdraw from Venezuela.
Despite the tensions between Washington and Caracas, the American company Chevron operates in Venezuela in partnership with PDVSA, thanks to a license by which the US Treasury Department exempts it from the American sanctions imposed on the Venezuelan oil sector.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller claimed on Wednesday that the United States created Venezuela's oil industry and described its nationalization as “the greatest theft of American wealth and property.”
