US seizes new ship off Venezuela. Iran offers Maduro cooperation against US “piracy and terrorism”.
The United States seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela on Saturday, in an operation in international waters, as Washington stepped up its pressure on Caracas. In parallel, Iran announced that it offers Venezuela cooperation “in all fields” to counter what he calls “piracy and international terrorism” of the USA.
Video source: X/ @Sec_Noem
American personnel boarded the ship and seized it, said an American official familiar with the situation, quoted by CNN. It is the second known case this month in which the US intercepts a ship near Venezuela, after on December 10 they seized the oil tanker Skipper, under sanctions due to its ties to Iran.
The action comes shortly after President Donald Trump announced this week a “blockade” of sanctioned tankers entering and leaving Venezuela. According to the US official, although the directive targeted ships under sanctions, the tanker seized on Saturday was not under US sanctions, and the seizure was not contested by the crew.
The ship was an oil tanker under the Panamanian flag, carrying Venezuelan oil and destined for Asia. The operation was coordinated by the US Coast Guard, with the support of the US military, and took place in international waters.
Washington's message
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted a seven-minute video on social media showing a helicopter hovering over the tanker. She stated that the ship was intercepted in a “pre-dawn action” by the Coast Guard, with the support of the Department of Defense, and that it had last docked in Venezuela.
“The United States will continue to pursue illegal transportation of oil sanctionedwhich is used to finance narco-terrorism in the region“, said Kristi Noem.
Iran affirms its support for Caracas
On the same day, Venezuela's foreign minister announced that Iran had offered its support to deal with what he described as “acts of piracy” and “international terrorism” of the US government. According to News.ro, the head of Venezuelan diplomacy, Yván Gil, wrote on Telegram that he had a telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, about bilateral relations and “recent developments in the Caribbean, especially the threats“, as well as about “the theft of ships loaded with Venezuelan oil“.
According to Gil, Tehran expressed “full solidarity” with Venezuela and offered cooperation “in all fields” to counter US actions, which he said violate international law. “Venezuela has received a show of total solidarity from the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, as well as its offer of cooperation in all areas to combat piracy and international terrorism that the United States is trying to impose by force“, the Venezuelan minister emphasized.
Increasing pressure on the Maduro regime
Iran has already supported Venezuela with supplies of fuel, food and medicine. Also, China and Russia, other allies of Caracas, expressed their solidarity with President Nicolás Maduro in the context of the American military deployment in the region.
The ship seizures, combined with Donald Trump's threats regarding possible land strikes on Venezuelan territory, have increased the pressure on Caracas, targeting the country's main source of income, already affected by the new sanctions imposed on the oil sector at the beginning of this year. For several months, the US has been waging a broad campaign of pressure on Venezuela, which includes sending thousands of troops and an aircraft carrier strike group to the Caribbean, actions against suspected drug-trafficking vessels and repeated threats against President Maduro.
