Venezuela sends naval escorts for oil ships after Trump’s threat
Ship-tracking data and sources familiar with the matter indicate that vessels carrying cargo such as urea and petroleum coke departed from Puerto José in the northeast between Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning, bound for Asian markets. A US official confirmed that Washington is aware of the escorted shipments and is considering various responses. It remains unclear whether these particular ships are subject to US sanctions or included in the blockade list, as stated by reports.
Venezuela’s state-owned oil company PDVSA said its vessels continue to operate “with full security, technical support and operational guarantees in legitimate exercise of their right to free navigation.”
Trump announced the blockade on Tuesday, accusing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s government of using oil revenues to fund “drug terrorism, human trafficking, murder, and kidnapping.” Caracas condemned the measure as a violation of international law, with Maduro warning of the risk of a “new Vietnam.”
Trump has reiterated demands for Maduro to step down, keeping all options, including military action, on the table amid a significant US military buildup in the region. Reports indicate that the US has carried out 25 known strikes against vessels allegedly linked to narco-terrorism in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific since September, resulting in 95 deaths.
Tensions further escalated on Dec. 10 when US forces seized a sanctioned Venezuelan oil tanker, an act Caracas described as “international piracy.”
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