The Venezuelan government has strongly condemned the US military’s seizure of an oil tanker off its coast, labeling the armed operation “a blatant robbery and an act of international piracy.” The US administration, conversely, justified the action by stating the vessel was part of an illegal network involved in transporting sanctioned oil. US President Trump described it as the largest tanker ever seized, though details on its destination and flag remained unclear amid conflicting US statements regarding its cargo origin, with some officials linking it to Venezuelan and Iranian oil. The “New York Times,” citing an unnamed Coast Guard official, reported the ship, named “Skipper,” was carrying oil from Venezuela’s state oil company. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro accused the Trump administration of escalating the conflict to gain control of Venezuela’s vast oil resources and force a change in leadership, asserting that the true motive behind “ongoing aggression” is resource acquisition, not concerns like migration, drug trafficking, democracy, or human rights. Prior to this, the US had targeted alleged drug smugglers and deployed warships near Venezuela, but the country’s oil exports had remained untouched.

Source: https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/venezuela-verurteilt-stuermung-von-oeltanker-durch-us-soldaten-100.html