A few days after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers to and from Venezuela, U.S. military forces seized a vessel near the coast of Venezuela.
Venezuelan officials called the tanker's seizure an act of piracy and pledged to take all necessary measures to ensure America's actions do not go unpunished, including appealing to the UN Security Council.
This is the second seizure of the tanker in less than two weeks. This time, the seized vessel was not under U.S. sanctions.
In recent weeks, the U.S. has increased its military presence near the Venezuelan coast, claiming these actions are aimed at combating drug trafficking. However, Caracas believes Washington is trying to change the regime to gain control over Venezuela's natural resources, primarily oil.
Since September, the U.S. has attacked more than 20 vessels suspected of drug trafficking in the Caribbean Sea, resulting in the deaths of at least 87 people.
On December 10, the United States seized the large oil tanker Skipper, which was under U.S. sanctions for its ties to Iran.
The operation that took place on Saturday, like the first one, was carried out by the U.S. Coast Guard with the assistance of American military personnel. At that time, a special tactical group boarded the vessel in international waters.
