Venezuela has ordered its navy to escort its tankers carrying petroleum products from its ports after President Trump declared a “complete and total blockade” on “sanctioned” tankers going into and out of Venezuela, The New York Times reported on Wednesday.
The report said that several ships sailed from Venezuela’s east coast with a naval escort on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. US forces already boarded and seized one tanker last week and intend to steal the cargo. If the US attempts to seize another tanker, it could now lead to a direct clash with the Venezuelan Navy.
“Venezuela’s Navy is now escorting ships leaving Venezuela with oil-based exports,” Erik Sperling, Executive Director of Just Foreign Policy, wrote on X. “This may mean that US would have to engage in offensive military action against Venezuelan forces — a clear violation of the War Powers Act & Constitution — in order to enforce the naval blockade.”
Venezuela’s state oil company, PDVSA, said exports were continuing despite Trump’s threat. “Export operations for crude and byproducts continue normally. Oil tankers linked to PDVSA operations continue to sail with full security,” PDVSA said. According to The Associated Press, some oil tankers under US sanctions have begun to divert from Venezuela.
In response to Trump’s declaration and the continued US aggression against Venezuela, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro warned the US was seeking “to create another Libya, Afghanistan, or Iraq.
“We do not want a new Vietnam. Venezuela has been protesting, fighting, and defeating this multidimensional aggression for 25 weeks,” Maduro said. “The defense of free trade and peace in the Caribbean and Venezuela is the defense of the entire world.”
Maduro also condemned the tanker seizure, saying the US took 1.9 million barrels of oil that was legally purchased from Venezuela. “We will be millions telling the imperialists that piracy cannot be accepted,” he said.
