Venezuela’s representative to UN denounces seizure of oil tankers by US

(MENAFN) Venezuela’s envoy to the United Nations sharply criticized recent actions by the United States during an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, accusing Washington of unlawfully seizing oil tankers and engaging in coercive practices at sea.

Addressing the Council, Venezuela’s permanent representative described the tanker seizures as acts of “state piracy,” arguing that they amount to a contemporary form of maritime crime carried out by a sovereign state. He claimed these actions reflect a deliberate strategy by the current US administration to assert dominance over Venezuela’s territory and its vast energy and mineral resources, backed by the threat of military force.

In a forceful statement, the ambassador declared: “Today the masks have come off,” adding, “All the toxic excuses used to poison public opinion are confronted with a harsh reality: senior US officials announcing their real objectives. It is not drugs, it is not security, it is not freedom. It is oil, it is mines and it is land.”

He further described these stated objectives as evidence of an aggressive campaign, labeling them a “confession of the crime of aggression” and portraying them as an attempt at colonial-style expansion reminiscent of the Monroe Doctrine. He warned Security Council members that Venezuela should be seen as only the initial focus of a wider strategy aimed at exerting control across Latin America.

According to the ambassador, the ongoing naval pressure amounts to a calculated military operation designed to economically and strategically suffocate the country. He argued that the alleged blockade seeks to weaken Venezuela’s defense capabilities, destabilize its economy, fracture social cohesion, and ultimately create conditions conducive to internal disorder and external military intervention.

He also raised alarm over aviation safety, accusing US forces of conducting electronic warfare operations in the region. He claimed that these activities involve intentionally disrupting civilian aircraft navigation systems while they pass through Venezuelan airspace. The envoy alleged that such interference has already led to at least two “near-miss” incidents, in which civilian planes narrowly avoided collisions with US military aircraft.

Earlier in the session, the US representative to the United Nations defended Washington’s approach, stating that authorities would continue enforcing “maximum” sanctions. He argued that these measures are intended to cut off funding to the government of President Nicolas Maduro, which the US claims is being used to support criminal networks.

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