2025-12-21 08:00
publication
2025-12-21 08:00
American services detained the second tanker this month in international waters off the coast of Venezuela, the Associated Press reported, citing two US officials.
AP reported that the tanker stopped at the request of the Coast Guard and allowed US services to board.
In a telephone interview with NBC News on Thursday (Friday in Poland), US President Donald Trump said that he did not rule out the possibility of war with Venezuela. When asked if he believed the attacks could lead to such a war, Trump replied that it was possible. He added that there will also be further takeovers of tankers.
In a statement published on Saturday, the Venezuelan government condemned the detention of another oil tanker off the coast of that country by US forces, calling it a “serious act of international piracy.” The vessel was detained in international waters. Venezuela announced, among other things, filing a complaint with the UN.
This was the second detention of an oil tanker this month.
The statement emphasized that “this type of actions will not go unpunished” and announced, among other things: filing a complaint to the UN Security Council and other international organizations, and reporting the incident to governments around the world.
“Venezuela condemns and rejects the theft and hijacking of another private oil transport vessel as well as the forcible disappearance of its crew by United States military personnel in international waters,” the statement said.
According to various estimates, at least 104 people have died as a result of American attacks on boats as part of the Trump administration's campaign against drug cartels in the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific.
The United States has been accusing Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro of running a drug cartel and for several weeks has been attacking boats which – according to American services – are transporting drugs to the United States. Last week, American forces also seized a sanctioned tanker off the coast of Venezuela and announced the confiscation of the transported oil, the value of which is estimated at approximately $80 million.
The Americans also gathered significant military forces in the region. On Tuesday, the US president announced a “blockade” of sanctioned tankers entering and leaving Venezuelan ports. He also declared that the Maduro regime is a “foreign terrorist organization”. (PAP)
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