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President Donald Trump ahead tension increased According to one report, he met with Venezuela to announce that the US had seized an oil tanker – and he may have just been getting started.
For several months, Trump’s attention has been focused on Venezuela. he has looked after military attacks Against alleged drug-running boats he says are fueled by Venezuela’s president Nicolas MaduroThe government of, created a military presence in its coastal waters, and imposed Maduro’s wife’s three nephews banned,
On Wednesday, Trump said the tanker was “the largest tanker ever seized” – and it was done so for a “very good reason.” Attorney General Pam Bondi claimed that the tanker was carrying oil sanctioned for Iran; Venezuela has denied that claim, calling it a seizure “Acts of international piracy.”
But that label doesn’t seem to have fazed the Trump administration, according to three people familiar with the administration’s plans. Washington Post That the US could seize additional sanctioned oil vessels off the coast of the South American country.
Asked Thursday whether the seized tanker, known as Skipper, would be a one-off, White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt declined to share any future plans.
She told reporters, “Well, I won’t broadcast any future actions from the administration, but I will just reiterate that the Trump Administration is following the President’s sanctioning policies and the sanctioning policies of the United States, and we will not stand by and watch sanctioned ships go out to sea with black market oil.”
Independent Has sought comment from the White House of post Report.
On Thursday, the Treasury Department announced sanctions against three nephews of Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, and a business executive close to Maduro. The department also added six oil tankers. List of approved ships, pointing fingers The ships “engaged in deceptive and unsafe shipping practices and continue to provide financial resources that fuel Maduro’s corrupt narco-terrorist regime.”
According to experts, the South American country relies heavily on oil exports to fuel its economy, so seizing oil tankers could devastate Venezuela’s already fragile economy. According to the , oil accounts for about 88 percent of Venezuela’s $24 billion export revenue. new York Times.
Francisco Rodríguez, a Venezuelan economist at the University of Denver, said, “A continued policy of confiscation will cause a sharp decline in Venezuela’s import capacity, plunging the country into a new recession.” Times,
The US campaign targeting oil tankers could also prevent ships from sailing towards the South American country.
“Every sanctioned ship that’s thinking about coming to Venezuela is now being warned that the U.S. government can board you,” said a consultant to energy companies involved in Venezuelan oil fields who spoke anonymously to protect the confidentiality of his clients. Post,
“This could have a major catastrophic impact on shipowners and operators,” he said. “Do I want to risk going to Venezuela and being tracked down by US authorities?”
Asked what would happen to the oil in the tanker, Trump told reporters on Wednesday, “I think we keep it.”
Leavitt said the ship would visit a US port and that the US intended to seize the oil. “However, there is a legal process to seize that oil and that legal process will be followed,” he said.
The Venezuelan government condemned the move as “a blatant theft and an act of international theft.”
“Under these circumstances, the real reasons for the prolonged aggression against Venezuela have finally been revealed… This has always been about our natural resources, our oil, our energy, resources that belong exclusively to the Venezuelan people,” the statement said.