The government stated it “will defend its sovereignty, natural resources, and national dignity with absolute determination,” and that it will condemn the seizure of the tanker before international bodies.
US President Donald Trump confirmed on Wednesday that his country had seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, marking the largest oil tanker ever captured. President Trump said, “We have just seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. A massive, massive tanker, actually the largest ever, and there are other things going on. You’ll see that later.”
Earlier on Wednesday, President Trump promised to launch ground operations against drug traffickers in Latin America, stating at a rally in Pennsylvania, “because it’s easier on the ground. And (drug trafficking) is more widespread there.”
Trump mentioned that “the targets destroyed at sea save the lives of 25,000 people who would have died otherwise due to overdoses.” The United States justifies its military presence in the Caribbean by “fighting drug trafficking,” and in September and October, Washington repeatedly used its armed forces to destroy boats allegedly carrying drugs off the coast of Venezuela.
On November 3rd, Trump expressed his view that “Nicolas Maduro’s days as Venezuela’s leader are numbered,” while affirming that “the United States does not intend to launch.” Caracas, on its part, considered these actions a “provocation aimed at destabilizing the region and a violation of international agreements concerning the status of the Caribbean as a demilitarized and nuclear-free zone.”
