Arya News - Venezuela accused the United States of committing an act of "international piracy" and called on the international community to condemn the seizure of its oil tanker by the US military, the country’s foreign ministry said.
"The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela strongly denounces and condemns what constitutes a blatant theft and an act of international piracy … Venezuela calls on all Venezuelans to stand firm in defense of the homeland and urges the international community to reject this vandalistic, illegal, and unprecedented aggression that seeks to normalize itself as a tool of pressure and plunder," the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. Caracas noted that the US President publicly admitted to attacking a Venezuelan tanker in the Caribbean Sea, and called the move part of a long-term strategy to plunder the South American country"s resources. The Venezuelan government reaffirmed that "it will appeal to all existing international institutions to denounce this serious international crime and will defend its sovereignty, natural resources, and national dignity with absolute determination," the statement added.On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump confirmed that the United States had captured an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, noting that it is the largest tanker ever seized and adding that some "other things are happening." US Attorney General Pam Bondi later explained that the vessel was suspected of shipping sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran. The operation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Homeland Security Investigations, and the US Coast Guard, with support from the Department of War.